Unless Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer remains a Heisman Trophy favorite and has that award at the end of the 2025 college football season, there's no question who the best quarterback that head coach Brent Venables has ever been around. And as Venables prepares for the Michigan Wolverines, he's having some flashbacks.
The Sooners host No. 15 Michigan for a top-20 primetime matchup at 6:30 pm. CT Saturday in Norman, where Wolverines freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood will make just his second career start and first-ever road trip. Underwood was a highly touted recruit, and during Tuesday's weekly press conference, Venables compared Underwood to another generational prospect in Trevor Lawrence.
Bryce Underwood earns Trevor Lawrence comp from Brent Venables
"As I said to open up, he's a little different," Venables said of Underwood while smirking. "It reminds me a lot of a Trevor Lawrence -- just quick, decisive, accurate, poised, tough, consistent. There's a reason he was the No. 1 player in America."
Lawrence quarterbacked the Clemson Tigers for three years during Venables' tenure as their defensive coordinator. Although Venables' defense also played a major role, Lawrence led the Tigers to national title in 2018 as a freshman and was the CFP National Championship Game Offensive MVP. Lawrence eventually went No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Like Lawrence, Underwood almost immediately emerged as QB1 after signing with Michigan as the No. 1 overall prospect and five-star recruit in the 2025 class. Underwood was solid in his debut, throwing for 251 yards and a TD in a 34-17 home win against New Mexico last week.
The Sooners will ultimately have the advantage on Saturday, though, with an elite defensive line and getting Underwood in his first-ever road game with a ruckus crowd at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Even while winning a national title as a freshman, Lawrence was 5-for-9 for 93 yards and a TD in his first road appearance against Texas A&M. However, Clemson still beat the Aggies 28-26 while Kelly Bryant threw for 205 yards and a TD.
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