Robert Griffin III recently dropped a bomb, straight up saying he turned down a job to coach Bryce Underwood at Michigan. The Heisman winner believes the program is failing to develop its star quarterback properly, and frankly, who can argue when you look at the results right now?
RG3 Spills on the Coaching Offer and Why He Passed
The big reveal came out on the October 7 episode of the *Outta Pocket* podcast. Griffin said Michigan reached out to him two years ago, offering him a role as the quarterback coach for Bryce Underwood. But RG3 passed on it because he loves his current work calling games. “Michigan offered me a job to be Bryce Underwood’s quarterback coach, and I turned it down because I love what I’m doing here calling games and having a good time,” Griffin stated on Yahoo Sports. This is a huge reveal for Michigan, especially with the way things are going. The Wolverines spent a staggering $12 million over four years to bring Underwood in from the LSU Tigers. You do not spend that kind of money without expecting big results. Right now, though, the results just are not there. The team is 0-2 in the Big 10 after a painful loss to Minnesota, a game where Underwood only managed to throw for 101 yards with two interceptions. It looks like a mess out there, but Griffin thinks the fix is not about a new player.
Development, Not Talent, Is the Real Issue
Griffin does not believe the problem is the raw talent in the room. He thinks the coaching is the problem. He firmly believes the staff is not using Underwood’s strengths. “He [Bryce Underwood] needs to be developed, and he’s not being developed right now,” Griffin pointed out. We have all seen this story play out before with high-priced talent. You cannot just throw money at a kid and expect him to win games on his own. You need a system that genuinely works for his specific skills. Griffin thinks the coaching staff needs to do a much better job of supporting what Underwood does well. He does not think benching the starter is the solution to the current struggles either. He believes the entire scheme is the real issue under head coach Kyle Whittingham.
The Heat Is On Kyle Whittingham
The pressure is seriously mounting for Kyle Whittingham during this bye week. Michigan has had a rough start to the season. After a win against Iowa, the team completely fell apart against Minnesota, where the offense only managed a measly seven points. This poor performance has led to loud calls for the team to bench Underwood. Some fans are even looking at the backup, Tommy Carr, a true freshman who looked good in a single series against UTEP, as a potential savior. But the real work for Whittingham is about the culture and the system. He has been coaching for over 40 years, and he certainly wants to set a specific culture at Michigan. With the offense struggling to score like this, however, those words are starting to feel pretty empty. The team absolutely needs to find a way to use Underwood correctly. If they cannot fix this development issue, that $12 million investment in Bryce Underwood might just go completely to waste.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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