I don’t know how or why. If you watched any Belleville games at all it was apparent that the gameplan was “rely on Bryce being a grown man playing against children” coupled with “just put wind sprinters at WR.”
I guess if all you’re looking at is arm strength and physical ability then he’s a five star. He’s kind of in the JJ situation though: no one ever forced him to actually learn how to play football. He has all the tangibles. He just has absolutely none of the intangibles and I guess the idea is that a school could help him develop those. Michigan isn’t the school for that though.
Went to highschool with Marquise Blair, dude was a cheat code at a D3 school. Second round pick out of Utah, couldn't live up to that in the League. Still MILES above Underwood, he at least knew how the game is played
The thing with Belleville, and I’m not trying to be mean when I say this, is that they don’t really have a skilled coach. He’s a union guy that was an assistant forever who took over after the old coach was basically forced to retire iirc.
What I’m getting at is that Bryce didn’t go to a program that actually developed him and then he went straight to UofM, a school notorious for failing to develop quarterbacks. If you just watch his state championship games and nothing else you’ve seen the whole Bryce Underwood development profile: there really isn’t one. It’s first read, second read to the post route (if that wasn’t read one,) then make the play with his legs.
If he had gotten poached by a private school he probably would have been better developed and prepared for the next level. Same if he had gone to a functioning high school program that wasn’t on the decline barring him being an athletic freak (Belleville immediately regressed to losing seasons after he left despite decades of winning seasons even before him being there.)
It was a fool’s gold situation. Bryce was the last thing holding that program together and his natural athleticism coupled with the school’s historic development record (coupled with the current coach being a UofM homer,) oversold what he was capable of. It’s kind of like what a certain other Michigan high school’s baseball program has been going through for a few years now except (as far as I’m aware,) Belleville’s coach didn’t tank an entire team because he wanted to hit on high school girls.
JJ was a great college QB and still has potential in the NFL, people acting like he was an Alabama QB when he was a major factor why we won the natty that year. Cade McNamara isn’t piloting that team to a Natty.
114
u/Glory2Tottenham Illinois Fighting Illini • Citrus Bowl 14d ago
Reminder Bryce Underwood was a 5 star