Bryce Underwood of
Belleville (Mich.) joins Jabrill Peppers (2010), Nick Bosa (2012), Trevor Lawrence (2014), JT Daniels (2015), Sam Huard (2017) and Arch Manning (2019) as players to earn MaxPreps National Freshman Player of the Year honors. Underwood joins the list after leading the Tigers to a 13-1 record and Division 1 state title.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound quarterback threw for 2,888 yards and 39 touchdowns against just four interceptions. In a 55-33 win over Adams (Rochester) in the Division 1 state championship he completed 12 of 21 passes for 284 yards and five touchdowns to claim the school's first state title. He added 64 yards on the ground and another score.
"He has unbelievable poise, not only for his age (14), but his poise for anyone. I think his parents have done an amazing job preparing him for this role,"
said Belleville head coach Jermain Crowell. "I think he's just scratching the surface to be honest with you."
He is the first player from Michigan to be named MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year and is the seventh quarterback to be selected since 2010.
Past MaxPreps National Freshman Players of the Year
2012 —
Nick Bosa, DL, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
2013 —
Dylan Moses, LB, University Lab (Baton Rouge, La.)
2015 —
JT Daniels, QB, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
2017 —
Sam Huard, QB, Kennedy Catholic (Burien, Wash.)
