What Tate Forcier says about Bryce Underwood starting as true freshman for Michigan football

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Tate Forcier is the last true freshman to start at quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines football program, having done so in 2009.

Only three true freshmen have ever started at quarterback for the Wolverines in its 146-year history until Saturday (Aug. 30) when Belleville native and true freshman five-star recruit Bryce Underwood will do so.

With Underwood on the verge of following in those footsteps, Forcier stopped by Local 4 to give his insights.

Reflecting on his first start, Forcier said the biggest adjustment was the speed of the game.

“He’s not going against grown men yet, but they’re becoming grown men. So, it’s just a big level difference in speed.

“But I think he’ll be able to handle it. He goes and gets it every day. Michigan’s second, third, and fourth-tier guys can compete with just about everybody in the country. So, he gets to see that every day. I think he’ll be fine.”

Tate Forcier

Like Underwood, Forcier, who grew up a University of Michigan fan and whose father is from the area, described the emotions of walking out onto the field for the first time.

“You feel it, but at the same time it’s almost just in the moment of when you’re first walking out because once the game starts, it’s all go.

You don’t hear anything other than when maybe a touchdown is scored. You feel the energy and all that, but once the game gets going, man, he’s going to just get into his own mode and he’s going to do his thing.”

Tate Forcier

For memories’ sake, Forcier went 13-20 for 179 yards and three touchdowns to help the Wolverines take down the Western Michigan Broncos 31-7 in his first start under center.

Having watched Underwood’s high school career at Belleville High School, Forcier sees a lot of promise in the young quarterback.

“He actually reminds me a lot of Devin Gardner.

When I watched Devin come out of high school, Devin was kind of the next-level athlete as well.

Devin, Cam Newton, you could kind of—you don’t know where his career is really going to go. You could just hope it goes up and hope everything goes right.

He has a rubber band for an arm. He’s elusive, kind of like a cat, which is good to be as a quarterback.

He’s big. I mean, it’s everything you want. He just needs to do everything right. As long as he does everything right, everything’s going to fall into place.”

Tate Forcier

Forcier also acknowledged the challenges that come with the position.

“Curve balls get thrown at you during the season, and you got to be able to handle them. But as long as he does, I think he’ll do it right,” Forcier said.

When asked about advice for Underwood, Forcier said he plans to speak with him privately.

“I plan on talking to him. So, I’m going to actually keep that between me and him.

But I should be talking in the next day or so. When that does happen, I’m going to tell him kind of what Chad Henne told me.

It was really cool getting a call from Chad Thursday night before my first game against Western.

So, I plan on doing the same thing with him and just kind of getting him ready for what he’s about to expect.”

Tate Forcier

Forcier emphasized the importance of discipline.

“You’ve got to do everything right. There’s no cutting corners, no cheating, anything. You’ve got to do everything right,” Forcier said.

As Michigan football prepares to embark on a new era with Underwood, Forcier expressed his excitement.

“I’m excited, man,” Forcier said.

Collegiate accolades

Forcier earned his second varsity letter after appearing in eight contests during the 2010 season.

He completed 54 of 84 passes (64.3%) for 597 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Forcier also carried the ball 22 times for 51 yards and a touchdown.

He made his season debut at quarterback against Bowling Green on Sept. 25, 2010, completing 12 of 12 passes for 110 yards and one touchdown.

This performance set a program single-game record for highest completion percentage (100%) with a minimum of 10 passes, surpassing College Football Playoff National Championship head coach Jim Harbaugh’s 12-for-13 (92.3%) effort against Purdue on Nov. 9, 1985.

Forcier added 30 rushing yards on four carries in that game.

In the Big Ten opener at Indiana on Oct. 2, he took two snaps at quarterback, completing his only pass attempt, and executed a 39-yard pooch punt.

Against Iowa on Oct. 16, he completed 17 of 26 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another score in the second half.

Forcier led Michigan’s offense to 21 fourth-quarter points against the Hawkeyes, including a 45-yard touchdown pass and a three-yard rushing touchdown.

Though he did not complete a pass as a backup quarterback, he recorded a 27-yard punt at Penn State on Oct. 30.

On Nov. 6, in a relief appearance at quarterback against Illinois, Forcier led Michigan on four touchdown drives in the fourth quarter and overtime periods.

Forcier completed 12 of 19 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-winning two-point conversion throw to Junior Hemingway in the third overtime. He also had seven carries for 33 yards in that game.

At Purdue on Nov. 13, Forcier completed one pass for 17 yards and gained three yards on the ground on four carries as a reserve quarterback.

He recorded a 39-yard pooch punt against the Boilermakers.

Against Wisconsin on Nov. 20, he completed 3 of 5 passes for 35 yards after entering the contest in the fourth quarter.

In a relief appearance at quarterback against Ohio State on Nov. 27, he went 8 for 15 for 82 yards.

Forcier did not see game action against Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1.

As a freshman in 2009, Forcier earned his first varsity letter and received Freshman All-America honorable mention from CollegeFootballNews.com and was named Sporting News Freshman All-Big Ten.

Forcier started all 12 games at quarterback, completing 165 of 281 passes (58.7%) for 2,050 yards and 13 touchdowns.

He carried the ball a team-high 118 times for 240 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns, averaging 190.8 yards of total offense per game.

Forcier had five games with over 200 yards passing.

He made his first career start at quarterback against the Broncos on Sept. 5, throwing for 179 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 37 yards on 11 carries.

That game made him only the third true freshman quarterback in Michigan history to start the season opener, joining Rick Leach (1975) and Chad Henne (2004).

Forcier led the Wolverines to a score on his first series under center.

Against Notre Dame on Sept. 12, Forcier completed 23 of 33 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-winning five-yard touchdown pass to Greg Mathews with 11 seconds remaining.

Forcier carried the ball 13 times for a career-high 70 yards and one score, including a 31-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-three early in the fourth quarter.

He also kicked a 50-yard punt to the Notre Dame four-yard line in the third quarter.

Forcier earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, Davey O’Brien Quarterback of the Week, and AT&T All-American Player of the Week honors for this performance.

Other notable freshman season highlights include completing 11 of 21 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana on Sept. 26, where he threw a 61-yard touchdown pass on his first completion of the game.

Forcier led two come-from-behind scoring drives in the fourth quarter and converted a two-point attempt to give the Wolverines their first lead.

Against the Michigan State Spartans on Oct. 3, Forcier completed 17 of 32 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, directing two touchdown drives in the final five minutes to force overtime.

Forcier continued to contribute throughout the season, including a career-high 257 passing yards at Illinois on Oct. 31 and a strong performance at Wisconsin on Nov. 14, completing 77% of his passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

He finished the season going 23 of 38 for 226 yards and one touchdown against Ohio State on Nov. 21.

He joined Henne as the only true freshman in Michigan history to start every game at quarterback during the season.

Watch the full interview with Forcier below:

Bryce Underwood

With the decision, Underwood will now join elite company as he is the fourth true freshman quarterback to be named as the starter, joining:

1. Rick Leach (1975),
2. Chad Henne (2004) and
3. Tate Forcier (2009)

Underwood beat out Jadyn Davis, Mikey Keene, and Jake Garcia to etch his name in the Michigan history books.

Once the ball snaps against New Mexico, Underwood will be the youngest starting quarterback (18 years old, 11 days) in the 146-year history of the football program.

The services of the 6′4″ 228-pound generational talent couldn’t come soon enough, as the Wolverines’ offense during the 2024 season was ranked 113th in scoring offense in the country, averaging 22 points per game.

Michigan had the fourth-fewest passing yards per game (129.1) in FBS last season, which ranked ahead of three service academies.

Underwood said the world had never seen a freshman like him, and now, the football community and fans alike will get their chance to see the phenom take the field on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, inside The Big House in Ann Arbor on NBC at 7:30 p.m.

Here’s the full 2025 schedule:

Spring Game

The hype and presence surrounding the 18-year-old are real, as the newly lamented starter brought a nice-sized crowd to Ann Arbor for the Maize vs. Blue 2025 Michigan football Spring Game on Saturday, April 19, 2025.

Fans were eager to see how the phenom would perform in front of a crowd, despite the offense being vanilla.

The Wolverines’ first public Spring Game was held at Ferry Field on May 14, 1925.

But the April 19 game was the most anticipated scrimmage in the 100 years of its existence as the five-star quarterback took his first snaps in front of a live crowd for the Wolverines football team.

After the game, it was reported that between 40,000 and 45,000 fans packed the Big House.

The Belleville native will look to lead Team 146 into new heights, as the Wolverines finished last season with an 8-5 record, with their passing game ranked near that of Army and Navy.

The game ended in a walk-off double flea flicker as Underwood hit Jalen Hoffman for an 88-yard catch and run for his first career touchdown.

Underwood finished the day with 187 yards passing and one touchdown to the amazement of the Michigan fans.

→ Million Dollar Man: Bryce Underwood steps into spotlight in Michigan football’s annual Spring Game

What do you expect from Underwood this season? How do you think he would fare against New Mexico under the lights inside The Big House on NBC?

Do you think the 18-year-old could lead the Wolverines back to the College Football Playoff or even the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis?

Here’s a look at a few of his Spring Game plays:

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