ANN ARBOR, Michigan — Infamously, there is only one tunnel leading to the locker rooms at Michigan Stadium. By the time Oregon and Michigan’s players walked into it after their game on Saturday, it was painfully clear which team was head and shoulders above.
After the teams exit the field, a group of high school players in maize bubble coats follow, with Michigan inviting recruits on hand back to the locker room to continue their visit. One player was apparently not among them: five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025.
Rumors swirled around campus all last weekend that the signal-caller, who lives about 30 minutes away in Belleville, would be a surprise attendee at the game (his teammate, Elijah Dotson, was on-hand). The night before, LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan was in attendance at Belleville’s first round playoff win, in which Underwood threw six touchdowns in a 68-0 blowout win as the Tigers chase their third state championship with Underwood behind center. Underwood is an LSU commit for now, but many recruiting insiders view a flip to Michigan as a forgone conclusion, even if he did not make it to Ann Arbor this weekend. A significant compensation package is being prepared for him.
The website On3 initially reported a figure for Underwood may near $5 million, but multiple conversations CBS Sports and 247Sports have had with sources across the industry paint the real number to be something closer to double that (over the course of several seasons). There should be no surprise at the high cost of doing business in the NIL era with a highly-touted prospect.
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