Urban Meyer, Joel Klatt rave over Bryce Underwood with comparison to Heisman Trophy winner

Zain Bando

Urban Meyer, Joel Klatt rave over Bryce Underwood with comparison to Heisman Trophy winner image

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Ohio State Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer didn't hold back earlier this week when discussing Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Even though Underwood has only one collegiate start, Meyer says he likes what he sees thus far.

“I went back and watched every snap,” Meyer said on "The Herd."  "My God, I mean, that’s a junior in college, and he’s really not. His physical presence is Cam Newton-ish. His size, his athleticism — I mean, spectacular."

Meyer said Michigan's matchup with Oklahoma will showcase what Underwood's true potential may ultimately become, but he took it a step further Saturday morning on Fox's Big Noon Kickoff.

“Day 1, he might be that guy that walks on campus — like when I had Percy Harvin — you’re just like, ‘That’s an absolute freak. Get him ready to play as fast you can.’ I’ve heard that about him. Now, that you saw it in person, that’s legit," Meyer said.

Meyer wasn't the only analyst with heaps of praise for Underwood. Just ask Fox Sports color analyst Joel Klatt, who came away impressed with Underwood's first start.

​​​​📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

“If you were just evaluating Bryce Underwood and his debut as a true freshman, I thought he was excellent. I really did,” Klatt said. 

Klatt says that despite Underwood's inexperience, he'll only continue to get better.

"And I went back and watched the tape just so that I could make sure that I knew and saw all of the plays for what they were, and I thought he was poised, I thought that this stage is not going to be too big for him," Klatt said. "He was not afraid to make big throws. He led them in situational football, in particular right before the half, in a two-minute situation right down the field.

Both the Wolverines (1-0) and Sooners (1-0) remain in the AP Top 25 mix, making a win for either critical for their College Football Playoff hopes.

For now, only time will tell.

Zain Bando

Zain Bando is a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. Over the years, Bando has written about various beats surrounding Illinois, Northwestern, and Kansas State Athletics but sticks to the Big Ten as his primary expertise. Outside of collegiate reporting, Bando covers MMA and boxing for MMA Knockout On Sports Illustrated and hosts/co-hosts two podcasts as part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network – Bando's Breakdowns and The MMA Outsiders, which air weekly on YouTube and are distributed on all podcast platforms Wednesday nights and Friday afternoons. Bando is a Chicago Suburban native and a member of the FWAA and USBWA, continuing to hone his professional skills as a sports journalist and media personality. Since June 2019, Bando's byline has been featured in numerous media outlets, including MSN, Yardbarker, Deadspin, FanSided, BJPenn.com, Bridge Media Network (Sports News Highlights), Mike Farrell Sports, Reuters, and more. When Bando is not writing, he binges on old UFC fights, spends time with family and friends, memorizes every Super Bowl, and manifests all the places he still has to travel to (even while bringing his laptop).