The Michigan Wolverines have not had the sort of season they envisioned. The Wolverines secured a commitment from the number one recruit in the freshman class in quarterback Bryce Underwood after flipping him from the LSU Tigers program.
However, Underwood struggled to consistently produce at the level that pundits and fans expected of him, and the Wolverines went 9-3 in the regular season, losing all three of their marquee games, including an embarrassing loss at home to the Ohio State Buckeyes, where Michigan failed to reach the endzone a single time.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, a Michigan grad and fan, seems to have played a big part in getting Underwood to flip from LSU. However, he recently said in a podcast appearance that he is done putting more money in Michigan’s NIL pot.
“I’m out of it. He’d have to have some big balls to say he wants to renegotiate now,” Portnoy said, per Awful Announcing. “I don’t think that’s coming down the ‘pike. That would be surreal. I’m out of it.”
However, Portnoy acknowledged that as far as he knows, Underwood can leave the program for greener pastures if he so chooses.
“It really seems like if somebody came along and said, ‘Hey Bryce, here’s $20 mill,’” Portnoy said. “I think he could bounce if he wanted to. I don’t think there’s any rules going on with that, as far as I could tell.”
Dave Portnoy won’t commit more NIL money to help Michigan keep Bryce Underwood https://t.co/gNMcqwcBtE pic.twitter.com/dtBdeIc03x
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 4, 2025
It’s clear from Portnoy’s words that if Underwood is looking for a pay raise, he shouldn’t knock on the Barstool Sports door.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.