Kyle Whittingham's all-important courting of Bryce Underwood underway at Michigan: 'His ceiling is very high'

New Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham has dozens on 1-on-1 meetings with players to finish up over the next few days before tackling talent acquisition in the transfer portal, but first, roster retention is of utmost importance.

Whittingham said Sunday during his introductory press conference that the first player he sat down with was freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, the top-rated player in the 2025 recruiting cycle who has eclipsed 2,500 yards of total offense this season ahead of Wednesday's battle against Texas in the Citrus Bowl.

"I did a lot of listening," Whittingham said of his 45-minute conversation with Underwood. "I wanted feedback from him, I wanted to get to know him. Everything from growing up, family, what's important to him -- it was a great conversation. He's a special young man. Carries himself the right way, you got to have a quarterback that has that 'it' factor and Bryce definitely has that 'it' factor.

"Along with a ton of talent. Big, strong kid. 6-foot-4, 225-plus pounds. His ceiling is very high, and the offense that we are going to bring in here I think will suit him to a T. I think he's going to really, really excel and have a great experience here."

Ahead of Whittingham's meeting with Michigan's starting quarterback in Orlando, Underwood said he was "excited" to chat with the former Utah coach given his expansive resume of success.

"Very excited to figure out what kind of guy he is. I don't really know too much about him. I'm just excited to figure out what kind of guy he is," Underwood said. 

Underwood said he's made no plans for beyond the bowl game for 2026 and will "figure it out" with his family.

CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported this weekend that Whittingham is targeting Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck as his play-caller in Ann Arbor, a necessary potential acquisition given his impact on the Utes' offense this season.

Utah ranked second nationally in rushing this season at 269.7 yards per game on the ground and fifth nationally in scoring at 41.1 points per game. Whittingham acknowledged Sunday that Michigan's offense will bring a "physicality-first" mindset and everything starts for the Wolverines at the line of scrimmage.

If Underwood returns, he'll be the headliner for a Michigan offense expected to bring back ballcarrier Jordan Marshall, several players up front and wideout Andrew Marsh, among others. Asked what kind of offense Michigan will have in 2026, Whittingham went into detail on his plan.

"Spread. We're going to base it out of the spread," Whittingham said. "Eleven personnel will be our base personnel group. We're going to run the football efficiently. The only people that were in the same category as us [at Utah] were the service academies -- Air Force, Navy. Otherwise, I believe that if you can run the football effectively, everything happens off of that." 

Raw as a passer during his first season in the Big Ten, Underwood completed 61.1% of his passes for 2,229 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. He's comfortable and capable as a runner, an area that could be further developed under Whittingham's preferred scheme.

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier rushed for 687 yards and seven touchdowns this season while backup Byrd Ficklin, a freshman, managed 503 yards and 10 scores on just 56 attempts.

Whittingham, who went 177-88 with the Utes, was hired to stabilize a program in disarray following the firing of Sherrone Moore, a bitter ending to a scandal-ridden era that overlaps Michigan's unbeaten, national title campaign in 2023.

Whittingham said Michigan was one of a handful of jobs across the country that he would say "yes" to when the search landed on him.

"What you can expect? Physicality will be our calling card," Whittingham said. "We were the most physical team in whatever league we played in. I believe in running the football and defending the run. If you can win the line of scrimmage, be physical up front."