LSU and Michigan have never officially met on the football field, but the Wolverines just stuffed the Tigers in a locker when it comes to the recruitment of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood.
Underwood, the No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2025, flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan on Thursday, giving the Wolverines the crown jewel of the recruiting cycle.
A product of Belleville, Underwood is the best player in the state of Michigan by a landslide, and getting him to stay home was a huge feather in the cap of Wolverines’ head coach Sherrone Moore.
Getting Underwood to stay home didn’t happen simply because he wanted to stay closer to his roots, however — it came with a hefty price tag. According to a report from Matt Moscona, the host for ESPN radio in Louisiana, it took a healthy eight-figure NIL package to keep Underwood in the Wolverine State.
For context, Xavier Legette signed a four-year rookie contract with the Carolina Panthers worth $12.4 million — putting Underwood in line to make more than the majority of the rookies in the NFL.
When you compare that to the number that LSU was set to pay Underwood — a “respectable” $1.5 million — staying home was a no-brainer.
