It’s poaching season in Ann Arbor and the nation’s former top prospect could be on the top of opposing teams’ lists.
Pat McAfee said Thursday how teams will attempt to capitalize on the uncertainty surrounding Michigan after firing coach Sherrone Moore for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
He also noted how quarterback and 2025 No. 1 prospect Bryce Underwood allegedly has scrubbed Michigan references from his Instagram bio at a time when some will wonder if he will leave.
However, Underwood’s Instagram account photo shows the back of his Michigan jersey and his page still has plenty of snaps of him representing the Wolverines.
“Michigan, for the next two weeks, is poachable for any coach to go and get them,” McAfee said on his self-named show.
Moore’s dismissal comes a few weeks before the transfer window opens Jan. 2, with teams able to lure players from other teams through Jan. 16.
A coaching change usually leads to some roster upheaval since some current players and recruits committed to that school due to the coach and no longer feel loyalty with said coach dismissed.
Underwood would be a prized player should he enter the transfer portal, and it’s certainly possible he could look to head elsewhere.
The Michigan native initially committed to LSU but then flipped to join the Wolverines, with Barstool’s Dave Portnoy among those who helped keep the local product in his home state.
Reports varied on how much Underwood received, with some reports stating he signed a four-year, $10 million NIL deal while others stated he could earn up to $12 million.
The last transfer window saw how those deals are always up for negotiation, with Tennessee and its now-ex-quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, getting in an ugly public dispute.
Iamaleava reportedly left since Tennessee would not up his deal, and coach Josh Heupel said that no player was bigger than the program.
Here’s the latest on former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore
The quarterback landed at UCLA with a Bruins team that would struggle mightily.
Though there have not been rumors that Underwood wants to leave Ann Arbor, Portnoy said earlier this year he won’t help the cause if there’s a renegotiation.
“If somebody came along and like, ‘Hey, Bryce, here’s $20 mill,’ I think he could bounce if he wanted to,” Portnoy said on the “Triple Option” podcast earlier this month.
“I’m out of it (if he asks to renegotiate). He’d have some big balls to say he wants to renegotiate now. I don’t think that’s coming down the pike, that would be surreal. But I’m out of it.”
Underwood committed to LSU under former coach Brian Kelly, and Lane Kiffin is now leading the Tigers.
Sophomore Michael Van Buren tops the Tigers’ offseason depth chart after starting eight games for Mississippi State in 2024 and three games for LSU this past season.
Portnoy said at the time — and before the Moore drama exploded — he did not expect Underwood to head back to LSU.
“I’ve heard people … obviously, I don’t think this is gonna happen,” Portnoy said, “but like, ‘No, would it be funny if Underwood went back to LSU with Lane.’ I don’t think that’s happening.”
Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer is the betting favorite at Kalshi to replace Moore, and retaining top talent like Underwood will be the new coach’s top job.
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