Dave Portnoy explains how Michigan flipped the No. 1 QB

Belleville (Mich.) five-star plus+ quarterback Bryce Underwood shocked the recruiting world last week when he transferred his commitment from LSU to the hometown Michigan Wolverines.

UM had been pursuing him closely for more than a month, but Underwood shared a post on Instagram earlier this week reporting that he would likely turn down Michigan’s $10 million NIL offer.

A few days later, he announced his move, complete with a hype video and finished merchandise.

According to Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who was part of Michigan’s revamped NIL effort that brought them to Underwood, the wheels had been turning for months.

“I got a call from the Michigan football team,” Portnoy said Tuesday on the Barstool College Football Show. “They said, ‘Hey, there’s this donor who wants to talk to you. I said that I was doing this alone (Underwood’s landing) and that I didn’t need to talk to anyone. And they said, “Please, this woman is a big fan of Barstool and you; she would like to talk to you. Her name is Jolin. … They said her husband was a man named Larry Ellison. Have you ever heard of him?”

Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle Corp., is one of the richest people in the world with an estimated net worth of over $240 billion.

That evening, Portnoy attended a Zoom meeting with Larry and Jolin.

Jolin, who considers herself a Michigan superfan, said she couldn’t stand the idea of the program being mediocre like it was when she attended Michigan during the Brady Hoke era.

“She said, ‘I never want to experience that era again.’ I can’t stand waking up on a Saturday and knowing we’re not the best team on the field,” Portnoy said. “Jolin said on that first call, ‘I needed someone from Michigan to reach out and show they care about this as much as I do.’ And then it was like the megapowers were united.’”

The discussions with Underwood lasted more than a month

The trio of Portnoy, Larry and Jolin reportedly made a call to Underwood and his parents the next evening – it all happened back in October.

They made a pitch about representing Barstool Sports as a sponsored athlete, but also the idea of being associated with Ellison, the second-richest man in the world.

Over the next few weeks, the Underwoods reflected on pitching at Michigan, but also returned to LSU for Bryce’s official visit. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, the family’s attorneys were reviewing the NIL possibilities associated with each program. LSUs reportedly came in at about $1.5 million per year, while the Wolverines were said to have offered more than $10 million during a four-year stay in Ann Arbor.

Following Bryce’s official visit, the family was reported to be on the Michigan campus on Tuesday and Wednesday last week.

When Michigan’s offer was reviewed by the Underwoods and their lawyers on Thursday, staff in Ann Arbor finally agreed. Back in Baton Rouge, the Tigers learned of the move when ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news live on television. Soon after, the Underwood family contacted LSU to let them know, according to Shea Dixon of The Bengal Tiger.

On Friday morning, less than 12 hours after his move was announced, Underwood had already announced a partnership with Champions Circle and Brave management to release signed trading cards priced at $1,900 and jersey t-shirts priced at $50, all of which are available for pre-order.

Underwood was then in attendance at the Wolverines’ win over Northwestern last weekend, just days after his announcement, and is expected to sign on Dec. 4.

The discussions with Underwood lasted more than a month

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