Would Bryce Underwood join LSU football after Sherrone Moore firing?

BATON ROUGE – In one of the wilder stories to come out of seemingly nowhere in college football in some time, Michigan fired head coach Sherrone Moore on Wednesday, Dec. 10.

Michigan claims that Moore’s dismissal was for cause after a university investigation turned up evidence that he had an engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, which is grounds for termination. Later Wednesday evening, Moore was detained by police in an alleged assault investigation with his arraignment set for Thursday afternoon.

It’s late in the coaching carousel cycle but Michigan is now on the market for a new head coach. And that means that there could be an exodus of players from the Wolverines. Could former five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood be among the players that choose to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2?

Does Moore’s firing possibly open the door for LSU football and new head coach Lane Kiffin to persuade Underwood to transfer to LSU if a sweepstakes does indeed take place?

Bryce Underwood was once committed to LSU football

Before Underwood ultimately decided to sign with Michigan, the top overall rated recruit in the 2025 class was committed to play at LSU.

It should be mentioned that Underwood was being recruited by former offensive coordinator Joe Sloan, who was fired by LSU back in October and is now in the same role at Kentucky, and former head coach Brian Kelly.

The Detroit native first committed to LSU in January 2024 as a junior in high school, nearly a year before his signing day. He flipped his commitment to the Wolverines in November 2024 and signed with them Dec. 4, 2024.

Bryce Underwood reported NIL deal at Michigan

There were reports regarding Michigan’s pursuit of Underwood with the The Athletic and other outlets saying that the school’s collective put together an aggressive Name, Image and Likeness package that outlined brand deals, immediate and long-term value.

On3’s NIL valuation has Underwood’s profile at roughly $3 million per year and his deal, while not public, is believed to be in the $10 to $12 million range, depending on how long the quarterback stays with the Wolverines.

While there has been significant promise from LSU’s brass to accrue somewhere between $25 million to $30 million in NIL money for Lane Kiffin for roster building, how much LSU would be willing to offer is unknown. How much NIL money would Underwood, if he entered the transfer portal, attract is unknown as well as it may not as much as it was coming out of high school.

Lane Kiffin, LSU need a quarterback

The caveat to all of this is that LSU and Kiffin need a quarterback pretty badly. Senior Garrett Nussmeier is out of eligibility and sophomore Michael Van Buren has only started four games at LSU, going 2-2 in those contests as the offense hasn’t looked much better with him under center.

In the short window of time Kiffin and his new partial staff had to put together a 2026 signing class at LSU, they were not able to find a quarterback in the incoming freshman class.

And Kiffin is known for his offensive play-calling prowess and sort of a quarterback savant, if you will. He’s developed multiple quarterbacks, most recently Jaxson Dart who is now the starting quarterback for the New York Giants. Kiffin came to LSU from Ole Miss, where his quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was a former Division II signal caller at Ferris State but he has guided the Rebels to the College Football Playoff under Kiffin’s tutelage.

Kiffin offered Underwood while at Ole Miss but were never strongly considered by the prospect. How much would Kiffin’s track record matter to Underwood and would it help tip the scales in LSU’s favor?

Bryce Underwood stats at Michigan

Underwood was an early enrollee at Michigan and won the starting quarterback job as a freshman. In his first season starting, Underwood has thrown for 2,229 yards, nine touchdown and six interceptions. He’s also rushed 74 times for 323 yards and five more scores.

Michigan went 0-2 against ranked opponents, losing at Oklahoma and at rival Ohio State. In those two games, the Wolverines managed to score one offensive touchdown.

When does the transfer portal open?

The transfer portal opens Jan. 2 for players to officially enter and the window closes Jan. 16. Players have two weeks to enter their name into the portal. That doesn’t necessarily mean that transfers have to announce their destination by Jan. 16.

This is the only transfer portal window as the NCAA cut back how many times a year players can get into the portal to one time a year, near the end of the college football season.

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.