Brian Kelly says Michigan must change how it uses Bryce Underwood - Wolverines Wire
Love him or hate him, Brian Kelly knows a little something about Bryce Underwood. After all, the Michigan football quarterback was committed to Kelly and LSU for nearly as long as he's been in Ann Arbor to this point.
So when Kelly looks at how Underwood is being deployed by the Wolverines -- whether it's last year or even through one game this year -- and says that's not how he should be utilized, perhaps someone should listen up.
Appearing on College Sports on SiriusXM, Kelly shared that the maize and blue need a reset when it comes to Underwood, noting he's not a traditional drop-back passer who is going to survey the defense and go through reads. Instead, Kelly says there's another way to maximize his talent on the field, and that's what Kyle Whittingham and company should do with him.
"As you know, Danny, he committed to me at LSU," Kelly said. "I've recruited him for two years, so I know him very well. He is an elite athlete. I mean, athletically off the charts. I think I always felt like read progression, in the pocket, those are the areas that would have to be worked on.
"Look, if I dropped him off to you, Danny, and you had to go work with him, you would put him in a system that best suits him. He's not a dropback quarterback that's gonna sit there and read through progressions. He's a half-line guy. You need to keep him on the move. You need to run him. You gotta run this kid. He is big, physical, strong, and fast, and he's tough.
"So, look, I'm not laying the blame anywhere, but I know this, I know his skillset. And to sit back in the pocket and go through progression reads, that's not him. So, I'm looking forward to Week 2 and finding out whether there is a bridge here on both sides where (Underwood) comes, he says, 'Listen, coach, you gotta run me. These are the things I can do.' And then Michigan obviously grants him that with changing the offense."
Offensive coordinator Jason Beck has been adamant that his intention is to build the offense around Underwood, and perhaps we see more of that this week when the Wolverines host Oklahoma. The expectation is that Underwood, who did run nine times for 47 yards and a touchdown against Western Michigan, will be more integrated into the run game as a whole.
Even so, Kelly believes that Beck and Whittingham must scrap all they have and change things up if they want this to work to its fullest. And that Underwood should embrace that what he's best at isn't necessarily the most NFL-style pro system.
"Yeah, so, you gotta sit the group down. And when I say the group, it's not just the individual anymore," Kelly said. "There's a lot of other people that are pulling on this, right? Like, hey, you can't run an offense like this because you won't go to the NFL. Well, let's forget about that. What can make the best of this team and you? And that is, we've gotta make some changes in the way we run our offense with you. And if you don't wanna run the ball, then you're right. Everybody is up for evaluation as to who the next quarterback is."
We'll know more about what Underwood and this offense might be capable of when it faces one of the best defenses in the country in Oklahoma on Saturday.
