It’s safe to say that the hype surrounding Bryce Underwood at Michigan is through the roof, but it’s not just limited to the Maize and Blue faithful. There are folks all across the country who are expecting big things from the No. 1 overall prospect in Ann Arbor, and many of them think those big things will occur in year one.

On Sunday, FOX College Football analyst RJ Young released his top candidates for the Heisman trophy in 2025, and Underwood was among his top candidates. The Michigan QB was joined by Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith, Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams, and Texas QB Arch Manning.

While Young thinks that Underwood is an early favorite right now, the reality is that the freshman QB needs to win the starting job first. Head coach Sherrone Moore is intent on bringing in a veteran quarterback via the transfer portal, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Underwood spend his freshman season learning behind a veteran before taking over as a sophomore. But there’s no question that Underwood is a special talent, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see him establish himself as QB1 in fall camp.

For what it’s worth, a true freshman quarterback has never won the Heisman trophy. Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M) became the first redshirt freshman QB to win the award back in 2012, and Jameis Winston (Florida State) became the second to do it the following year in 2013.

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