ANN ARBOR, Mich. — As spring ball progresses for Michigan football, some defensive players have marveled at the talent of Bryce Underwood, the former No. 1 recruit in the country and five-star quarterback. While part of it is his unique makeup, another surprising element has been his ability to use his legs to evade pressure or make a play upfield.
But it’s not just the players marveling; even the defensive coaches can’t help but do the same.
Defensive line coach Lou Esposito has very little to do with the quarterback — except for that his group is responsible for pressuring or putting opposing quarterbacks on the ground. While the defensive linemen have complained about Underwood using his legs, Esposito more so cannot believe what he sees when it comes to his arm.
“He moves around really well, and people talk about that all the time,” Esposito said. “But I think the biggest thing for him is how he throws the ball. That’s what’s different. Like how he throws the ball is special. And obviously, he’s a great athlete. He’s a unique talent, and he’s going to make us better, and he has been making us better, which is good.”
The good news for the defense is that Underwood’s ability to use both his arm and legs helps improve the unit, especially in the spring.
Quarterbacks aren’t live, meaning that they aren’t meant for contact as some other offensive units are. While that could be a bad thing for some teams, Esposito says that the defense uses that to their advantage. He uses the example of when you see defensive linemen from other teams penetrate the offensive line in games, but have so little body control that the quarterback still makes a play as they evade pressure.
Well, Michigan has a plan for that.
“Obviously you have to beat a block, right? You’ve got to beat the guy in front of you to get to the quarterback,”…
Source link : https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/wolverines/football/2025/03/31/bryce-underwood-wows-dl-coach-improving-michigan-football-pass-rush/82743962007/
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Publish date : 2025-03-31 18:28:00
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