Michigan lands former MSU Spartan Jaden Mangham out of transfer portal
The Michigan Wolverines continue to attack the secondary in the transfer portal, this time pulling a player from an in-state rivalry in former Michigan State Spartan safety Jaden Mangham. The defensive back has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Standing at 6-2, 185 pounds, Mangham is a Beverly Hills, Michigan native who attended Groves High School. He played in 20 games with 12 starts at safety in his Michigan State career, recording 73 total tackles with four interceptions, three passes defended and one fumble recovery.
The On3 Industry Ranking has him as the No. 19 available player in the transfer portal and a three-star addition. Coming out of high school, he was a four-star recruit, the No. 301 player nationally, No. 8 athlete and eighth-best player in the state of Michigan.
Last season, he was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the coaches and media and led the team in interceptions with four, playing a total of 606 snaps on defense. He posted a 69.6 overall grade on Pro Football Focus last season with a 64.8 coverage grade and an 82.7 mark as a run defender.
Mangham is the third defensive back to commit to Michigan out of the portal this week, joining former Albany cornerback Aamir Hall, an FCS All-American in 2023 and former Georgia Tech and Tennessee safety Wesley Walker, who committed to Louisville this winter before re-entering the portal after spring ball.
“I do think we have a lot of talent on defense,” defensive backs coach Lamar Morgan said during spring practices. “I think you have a lot of guys that have roles. You look at the front four in the last championship game, the last four that was on the field at the same time is the same four that’s here. Makari and Will and a lot of guys like that. I do think we have a lot of talent, I do think we need to develop some of the guys that haven’t played and also it’s important for us to do that to make sure this place continues to grow, it’s not a one hit wonder.
“That’s something we have to work on as coaches every single day. I think that’s what Michigan is. It’s a developmental program. Get elite talent and develop them. I think that’s kind of what I hand my hat on as a coach. That’s what I want to be known for. Developing talent. Will, I hope Will gets better this year and continues to get better and I hope, if you talk to him, he’s saying, hey, I’m getting better throughout spring. That’s something that I am very passionate about.”
It is safe to say Michigan has not only developed its room this offseason but also augmented it fairly successfully.
Keep an eye on more news from the transfer portal in the days and weeks to come leading into the summer and fall camp at Michigan.
