Could the high-upside junior carve out a role in Michigan’s secondary this season?
Michigan’s approach to bolstering its secondary reminds me of the 2000s commercial starring Kobe Bryant and Kanye West:
“How many DBs do the Wolverines need?”
“More DBs.”
The Michigan Wolverines have attacked the depth issue in the secondary with the enthusiasm of its former head coach cutting into a rare New York strip. Over the course of one weekend, Michigan added a pair of corners, Aamir Hall and Ricky Johnson, and a pair of safeties, Wesley Walker and Jaden Mangham, to address the void created by the injury to Rod Moore and the transfers of Keon Sabb and D.J. Waller.
Last week, we broke down what Albany transfer Aamir Hall brings to Team 145; now, we are going to focus on a player who has broken free from the dark side and come into the light: Michigan State transfer Jaden Mangham.
Background
Firstly — let’s get this out of the way — Mangham was not involved in the tunnel assault in 2022. Let’s keep it pushing.
Jaden Mangham was a highly touted four-star recruit coming out of high school in Franklin, Michigan, with excellent speed and a freakish wingspan. As a prep athlete, Mangham was a two-sport star who excelled at track and field (sprints, long jump) as well as football. On the gridiron, Mangham displayed a versatile skill set with high-quality reps at wide receiver, safety, nickel, and boundary corner.
The Wolverines heavily pursued Mangham initially, but backed off after the commitments of safeties Zeke Berry, Keon Sabb, and Damani Dent. Despite having offers from schools such as Alabama, Notre Dame, and Oregon, Mangham decided to stay closer to home and committed to Michigan State 90 minutes down the road.
As a freshman, Mangham broke into the starting lineup early in the season, but unfortunately, an injury against the Buckeyes derailed his first-year momentum. Post-injury, Mangham was relegated to a rotational role and finished the season with 20 tackles in nine games.
As a sophomore, despite playing in the second-worst secondary in the Big Ten, Mangham was a consistent bright spot and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors for his efforts. Mangham led the team in interceptions (4) and chipped in 53 tackles while largely playing deep centerfield for the Spartans.
Measurables
Mangham is a long, rangy safety listed at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, but plays much bigger than his billed weight coupled with arms that rival wings. Mangham has never let his thin frame interrupt his physical style of play. Even when Mangham first came to East Lansing 170 pounds soaking wet, he didn’t let his diminutive stature keep him from carving out a rotational role his first year on campus. Translation: he’s got that dawg in him.
However, expect Mangham to stop having to overcompensate and quickly turn his frame into a strength at the hands of strength and conditioning coach Justin Tress. This season, Mangham should play over 190 pounds which should also help mitigate any lingering injury concerns that have limited Mangham each of his first two years of Big Ten football.
Michigan State Scouting
Best tape: Nebraska
Worst tape: Washington
Mangham is exactly what Michigan desires in defensive backs: fast, versatile, and physical.
In coverage, Mangham took significant strides between his freshman and sophomore years and possesses a massive upside. While his coverage film is average at best, he was playing in a defensive scheme that was bad at best.
Michigan State’s secondary was lost more often than not last season with players constantly on different pages and playing different coverages. Remember how confused you were the first (second, and third) time you saw Tenet? That feeling is how Spartan defensive backs felt snap to snap. There was zero continuity or competence, just guys constantly playing off vibes with miscommunication tethered from sideline to sideline.
Mangham’s main responsibilities in this directionless defense was two-fold: don’t let anyone behind you and help absolve the myriad of sins of linebackers in coverage. As you have deduced, it is difficult to play centerfield while constantly having to come field grounders for the speed-challenged Cal Halliday.
But in run support, Mangham was one of the better safeties in the Big Ten. Sometimes he played too fast or too desperate to make a play, but given his defensive teammates, can you really blame him?
Mangham desperately wants to be a big hitter and when laying the wood on players under 200 pounds, he is effective. But against larger backs and receivers, he sometimes bounces off. Again, some added weight could make all the difference (F=ma).
Expectations at Michigan
Mangham will have the opportunity to play a lot this season at Michigan regardless of whether he starts, which is possible. or not. Mangham will have to prove early and often that he was not a catalyst of the dysfunction in the Michigan State secondary. Fortunately for Mangham, he will only have to shoulder a portion of the burden that he was used to in East Lansing and he will not have to yo-yo in his on-the-field responsibilities.
Similar to last year, expect the Wolverines to rotate frequently to keep players fresh and Mangham should be involved at multiple positions within that rotation. Although Mangham will primarily be featured at safety because of his experience, closing speed, and ability to play the run, he also possesses fluid hips and quick feet to help out at nickel or boundary corners if needed.
Furthermore, playing in a rotation will help keep Mangham healthy and could allow him to play an entire season for the first time in his career. Playing behind a significantly stronger front seven and within a vastly superior defensive scheme, Mangham is positioned to thrive at Michigan if his coverage skills continue to progress. Although his individual statistics may decline due to the high caliber of his teammates, his overall performance will greatly benefit from the improved environment.