Dave Portnoy seemingly had a big hand in getting five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood to flip his commitment from LSU to Michigan last year.
Coming off a national title, Portnoy — a Michigan alum — watched as the Wolverines sputtered to a 5-4 record in the Big Ten with Davis Warren under center. Ranting about the disappointing season on a Barstool podcast, Portnoy, in a quote that may become legendary in Ann Arbor, pledged to spend whatever it took to bring a QB to campus.
But now, coming off a putrid home loss in The Game in which Underwood could barely move the ball, Portnoy is backing off. The Barstool boss said in an appearance on The Triple Option podcast alongside his Fox Sports colleagues that he is “out” on putting more money in Michigan’s NIL pot if Underwood threatens to leave.
“I’m out of it. He’d have to have some big balls to say he wants to renegotiate now,” Portnoy said. “I don’t think that’s coming down the ‘pike. That would be surreal. I’m out of it.”
While Underwood, a true freshman, has given no indications that he would leave Ann Arbor, things can change quickly with the transfer portal. The 2024-25 offseason was engulfed by the Nico Iamaleava saga, in which the former Tennessee QB jumped ship to UCLA to seemingly chase more NIL money, only for the Bruins to flounder while the Volunteers remained a contender for the College Football Playoff.
“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.”
The Barstool boss said that his involvement ended long ago, after a meeting with Underwood’s family and Larry Ellison, whose wife is a Michigan alum. As Underwood considered flipping to Michigan, Portnoy said he promised to give some money over, then left the situation alone.
But if Bryce Underwood comes calling again, don’t expect Dave Portnoy to spend up to help keep the QB for his sophomore season.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.