The Bryce Underwood Exit Scenario: A Potential Crisis Point for the NCAA

Following the firing of head coach Sherrone Moore in Michigan, flutters around a potential sophomore season exit for former five star high school recruit Bryce Underwood have been becoming more and more apparent ever since the decision to alleviate the coach of his duties, but if he did decide to make the shock decision to leave, it would be a disaster for the NCAA, and college football as a whole.

In today's day and age, gone are the days when playing for one college is all on players' minds, and gone are the days that loyalty beats out any sort of monetary gain. In this new generation of NCAA football, and how much money the league makes, NIL money is all that seems to matter for players, and it slowly destroys the culture and credibility of what the league is supposed to be.

College football has always been the outlet for some of the best up and coming prospects to stay loyal to one programme, become tied in for life, and play their best football at, it is a culture that has been set in stone for years in the United States. But, that seems not to be the case anymore. The introduction and rise of name, and image licensing has destroyed the loyalty aspect of the game, and giving salaries to college players is one of the worst things that could have happened to the league.

These days for college players, the idea of playing for a prestigious top 10 programme, playing for legendary coaches, or even just going to a good school is a thing of the past, and the NIL salary figure seems to be the biggest concern for modern day players, and University of Michigan QB Bryce Underwood is a perfect example of this.

Sure when Underwood came out of high school as a five star recruit, the decision to commit to a programme like Michigan was massive, joining a programme with a lot of prestige and history, and a program where he would commit to start his professional football journey. Even though the $3 million NIL deal that came with it was probably a massive bonus, the decision still had a lot of credible thought behind it, but that seems like it could all be out the window soon.

In the 21st century, there has never been so much activity within the NCAA football transfer portal, and it only looks like it will increase, and maybe Underwood could be the next big thing to enter. Ever since former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin took the decision to join LSU, murmurs around who he could lure to be his next QB after Garret Nussmeier have stirred up a lot of thought, most commonly Underwood’s name being mentioned. As a programme with so much value, money, and pull with Kiffin now in the driving seat, although it seems like a long shot there is definitely a way he could urge Underwood to head down south. Figures in the 15-20 million dollar range have been talked about, and in this day and age, it isn’t crazy to think this is possible.

Although Underwood is unlikely to leave Michigan, and continue into his sophomore year as a Wolverine, it would be a complete disaster if he did decide to leave such a prestigious program for simply just monetary gain, and the credibility of what the NCAA represents would go straight out the window. Even though it's just talk and rumours, it could be the tip of the iceberg of what could become a very toxic college football environment.