The expectations for Michigan football quarterback Bryce Underwood were through the roof in 2025.

Much of that came from his ranking, coming into Ann Arbor as the No. 1 high school product in the nation. Some of it came from his own doing — like going on Big Ten Network last August and proclaiming “nobody has seen a freshman like me.”

The talented signal-caller did not live up to the hype in Year 1. Not only as a team — Michigan went 9-4 and missed the College Football Playoff for the second straight season — but individually, where Underwood completed just 60.3% of his passes for 2,428 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Now with a year under his belt, Underwood kept it simple when asked what he expects going into year two.

“Better than Year 1,” he told reporters at Saline High School on Saturday, June 20, where he hosted a youth football camp. “That’s really all I can say.”

Underwood has been taking the steps behind the scenes to make it happen. He didn’t explain exactly how he got connected, but he made sure to get in contact with Jordan Palmer, a California-based QB guru, where he’s gone for multiple training sessions.

The Belleville native called Palmer one of the “best trainers around the country” and said it’s been a “blessing” to get to work with him. He says his focus this summer has been simple − training, spending time with family and jelling with teammates − but he’s already learning new lessons, much of which isn’t as much focused on the physical side, but mental.

“How to simplify the game for myself, how easy I can make the game,” he said. “[Focusing on] the consistency in everything I have going on, so that was really my main focus this offseason.”

Underwood also acknowledged Year 1 wasn’t what he expected it would be. He went 50-4 at Belleville, led the Tigers to their first undefeated season in school history (2023), was Gatorade National Player of the Year that season and MaxPreps National Freshman (2021) and Sophomore (2022) of the Year the two years prior.

There had been very few learning lessons or moments of failure, but the Big Ten proved to be a different animal. While his physical tools are widely considered enough to be a solid player − or even elite − Underwood said there were more cerebral requirements than what he expected.

“How much the mental aspect of the game really matters,” Underwood said of what he learned. “How mentally stable you [have] to be, how mentally strengthened.”

Recently, new head coach Kyle Whittingham told the Free Press he felt like Underwood had a “pretty tough situation” in his first season. Much of that was due to not having a dedicated position coach on staff, which is a major reason Whittingham hired Koy Detmer Jr. to lead the quarterbacks room in Ann Arbor.

Underwood says the relationship is already off to a good start.

“That’s my guy,” he said of Detmer. “We talk every single day, how we can be better as a player and coach and how we’re going to produce on the field.”

“Defenseman C. Reid will spend next year at college in Michigan” is a sentence that has been said before. The first time, it was about incoming Michigan State star defenseman Chase Reid, a presumptive top-five pick in the upcoming NHL draft. Now, Michigan has secured a defenseman C. Reid of their own — Cam Reid of the Kitchener Rangers.

This is likely to confuse many people, so here are four quick ways to tell them apart. First, they are probably wearing different colors. Second, if one of them says “eh,” that’s Cam, as he’s from Aylmer, Ontario while Chase is from Chesterfield, Michigan. Third, Chase is two inches taller at six-foot-two. Fourth, they don’t look very similar. We will likely gain a fifth way after the draft as Chase is unlikely to fall to the Nashville Predators at tenth, which is who drafted Cam, but we can’t say for sure yet, so we’ll stick with four for now.

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Bits aside, Reid committing to Michigan is a big get for the Wolverines — albeit, not an unexpected one. This move was rumored for months, and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic reported that Reid had been planning the move since December. Still, to actually land the commitment is significant for the Wolverines as it bolsters an already-strong blue line for Michigan.

As previously mentioned, Reid is from Aylmer and grew up playing for the Aylmer Flames. He’s six feet tall and 194 pounds and shoots left, much to the chagrin of anyone who wanted another right shot for Michigan (that d-core is almost entirely lefties). Reid is a two-way defenseman who ran the Kitchener Rangers power play and he’s known for his explosive skating. With him and defenseman Henry Mews on the back end, Michigan’s power play would have two stars manning the point.

As captain this season, Reid led the Rangers to the Memorial Cup, where they defeated Landon DuPont and the Everett Silvertips. And there is a very realistic chance that the two of them will be teammates together next year as Michigan is currently leading the pack in recruiting DuPont. He was reportedly on campus this week and will be touring Michigan State as well.

Even if DuPont doesn’t come, the Wolverines’ defensive core is absolutely stacked with Reid and Mews. Reid will be another key chip as Michigan tries again to get over the hump of the Frozen Four.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — June 19th is also Juneteenth, which signifies when the final African-American slaves in the United States learned of their freedom in Galveston, Texas, in 1865.

It became a federal holiday in 2021, and it’s celebrated strongly in West Michigan.

In Kalamazoo, there will be festivities in Bronson Park from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, including food, dancing, and music.

“That’s very typical of how African Americans or people from the African diaspora celebrate,” said Dr. Sherrie Fuller, Director of Education & Training in the Vice President’s Area for Diversity and Inclusion. “It’s always food, it’s always dance, it’s all this music and it’s festive.”

This Juneteenth is a reminder of how far Black Americans have come, but a difficult reminder that there is still a long way to go for equality.

This week, a Black teenager was handcuffed and detained in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Battle Creek.

The boy’s family accused the officer of racial profiling, and the Battle Creek Police chief stands by his actions.

Dr. L.E. Johnson II of the Center for Afrocentric Thought was disgusted by the officer’s actions.

“What type of bias and prejudice are we dealing with here?” Dr. Johnson II said. “What that officer did was put blight on a legacy of a community that has worked hard to make things better for everybody. It was horrible what he did. He should be ashamed. He should be ashamed.”

Western Michigan University hosted a performance from Rootead on Friday afternoon at the multicultural center at the Trimpe Building.

Performers danced and played drums, focusing on their cultural roots.

“I believe people were able to have an opportunity to just kind of reflect on what the purpose of Juneteenth or the celebration of the holiday is all about, so it’s phenomenal,” said Dr. Fuller.

Battle Creek will have a Juneteenth family day at Claude Evans Park on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.