ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Bryce Underwood, the top-rated football recruit in the country, flipped to Michigan after pledging to play at LSU, a person familiar with the decision said Thursday night.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the recruit's plans to join the Wolverines.
Underwood pinned a post on his Instagram account, showing a post from On3.com that reported he has committed to Michigan.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound quarterback played at Belleville High School, which is about 15 miles east of Ann Arbor, and told LSU nearly a year ago that he intended to play there.
Underwood and his family wore LSU jewelry in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, earlier this month when Alabama beat the Tigers 42-13.
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore, whose debut season has been stunted by the lack of a productive quarterback, continued to recruit Underwood with the help of a name, image and likeness collective, and it paid off.
With a player as highly regarded as Underwood, NIL offers can reach $5 million to $10 million.
Michigan has partnered with a collective, Champions Circle, to create opportunities for athletes to make money, and the group responded to Underwood's commitment.
“ We are very excited to keep Bryce home in Michigan as he continues to build his legacy,” Nate Forbes, founding member and chairman of Champions Circle, said in a statement.
Underwood's commitment gives the defending national champion Wolverines a jolt of hope.
Michigan (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) has to beat Northwestern (4-6, 2-5) on Saturday to become bowl eligible before closing the season on the road against second-ranked rival Ohio State.
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FILE - Fleaux quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) during the OT7 Orlando football tournament against Raw, April 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street closed higher and reached more records Wednesday on a holiday-shortened trading day.
The S&P 500 index rose 22.26 points, or 0.3%, to 6,932.05. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 288.75, or 0.6%, to close at 48,731.16, and the Nasdaq composite added 51.46, or 0.2%, to 23,613.31
Trading was extremely light as markets closed early for Christmas Eve and will be closed for Christmas Thursday. Roughly 1.8 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, which is roughly a third of the average trading day.
Markets will reopen for a full day of trading on Friday; however volumes are expected to remain light this week with most investors having closed out their positions for the year.
The S&P 500 is up more than 17% this year, as investors have embraced the deregulatory policies of the Trump administration and been optimistic about the future of artificial intelligence in helping boost profits for not only technology companies but also for Corporate America. Some of the strongest performers this year include Nvidia and Micron Technologies, both companies that make chips or other components that power the proliferation of data centers across the country.
Much of the focus for investors for the next few weeks will be on where the U.S. economy is heading and where the Federal Reserve will move interest rates. Investors are betting the Fed will hold steady on interest rates at its January meeting.
The U.S. economy grew at a surprisingly strong 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter, the most rapid expansion in two years, driven by consumers who continue to spend in the face of ongoing inflation. There have also been recent reports showing shaky confidence among consumers worried about high prices. The labor market has been slowing and retail sales have weakened.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week and remain at historically healthy levels despite some signs that the labor market is weakening.
U.S. applications for jobless claims for the week ending Dec. 20 fell by 10,000 to 214,000 from the previous week’s 224,000, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. That’s below the 232,000 new applications forecast of analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet.
Dynavax Technologies soared 38.2% after Sanofi said it was acquiring the California-based vaccine maker in a deal worth $2.2 billion. The French drugmaker will add Dynavax’s hepatitis B vaccines to its portfolio, as well as a shingles vaccine that is still in development.
Novo Nordisk's shares rose 1.8% after the weight-loss drug company got approval from U.S. regulators for a pill version of its blockbuster drug Wegovy. However, Novo Nordisk shares are still down almost 40% this year as the company has faced increased competition for weight-loss medications, particularly from Eli Lilly. Shares of Eli Lilly are up 40% this year.
European markets moved between slight gains and losses. Asian markets were also quiet, with Hong Kong moving up 0.2% while Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.1%
Gold prices were flat at $4,502 an ounce, and silver rose 0.8% to $71.69. U.S. crude oil was flat at $58.38 a barrel.
Derek Orth works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A board above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange displays the closing number for the Dow Jones industrial average, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Anthony Matesic works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
FILE - A screen displays financial news as traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
A person walks in front of a chart showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
