ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sometimes, some of the biggest things that happen in fall camp are the things that go unseen by the general public. And if quarterback Bryce Underwood is to be coronated as the starter for Michigan football in 2025, as expected, there may be one underrated thing that happened that helped him along during the training process.
As two-time team captain Max Bredeson divulged on Thursday, Underwood isn’t just a special talent — he’s humble, and he’s real. And Bredeson got to know a bit more on a personal level as he and Underwood shared a hotel room for the duration of fall camp.
“Me and Bryce were roommates for camp, and that was fun,” Bredeson said. “A lot of great things. Obviously, you get to see him play football. It’s cool to see that stuff, but the way he talks to people, the way he interacts in the building, that’s really special. I got to be around him every day for a month straight. You get to see what someone’s really like. If you go back to a hotel room after a three-hour practice, you get to see the real version of them. The real version is as good as it can be.”
It’s a big thing for Underwood to be able to get so much one-on-one time with Bredeson, who is seen as perhaps ‘the’ leader on the Michigan football team. As it turns out, the idea was a joint one by the team captain as well as head coach Sherrone Moore.
Bredeson says that while Underwood certainly learned a bit about leadership and how to be a vocal presence, it wasn’t a one-sided affair. In fact, Bredeson says he also learned some things by being around the former five-star.
“I don’t know exactly what I was trying to get out of it, but I just knew it could help the team,” Bredeson said. “Just being around each other every day, like guys who everybody wants to have a positive impact on everybody. So I got a lot out of it from him, too. It wasn’t all about me trying to be around him. A lot of good things came from me around him, too.”
But, of course, the big thing is Underwood being mentored by the captain. After all, no matter the age, a quarterback has to be a leader of the offense. Bredeson thinks that the roommate situation definitely helped Underwood along a bit — especially considering he is on track to start.
“Yeah, there’s times like being a freshman, it’s definitely — like I know when I was a freshman, it would be hard for me to say stuff,” Bredeson said. “He’s definitely able to grow in that role and kind of settle in. Every quarterback has to be able to talk to the offense. It doesn’t matter how old you are. He got to be around those great quarterbacks who are in the room who have done that a lot. So I think that was definitely big for him.”
Fans will get an opportunity to see Underwood and the new-look offense in action on August 30 when the Wolverines host New Mexico for the season opener at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Max Bredeson mentors Bryce Underwood, boosting his leadership in Michigan’s 2025 fall camp
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
