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DB Jaden Mangham on 'crazy decision' to transfer to Michigan State's biggest rival, social media reaction it created

clayton-sayfieby: Clayton Sayfie13 hours agoCSayf23
Jaden Mangham
Michigan Wolverines football defensive back Jaden Mangham was in on a tackle for loss against Oklahoma. (Photo by SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Defensive back Jaden Mangham was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class, holding offers from Michigan, MSU, Alabama, Notre Dame, Penn State and others. He chose the Spartans, played two seasons there and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2023.

Then came a decision that caused a frenzy on social media.

The Beverly Hills (Mich.) Groves product entered the transfer portal April 30, 2024. Just over three weeks later, he set the internet on fire by committing to Michigan — the Spartans’ biggest rival.

Former teammates like defensive lineman Ken Tally, who totaled 58 defensive snaps on a unit that ranked 86th nationally in scoring defense in 2023, took to Twitter to call Mangham “soft.” Michigan State fans were enraged that one of the team’s top players — he was one of four defenders to earn All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition — transferred to the defending national champion and three-time defending Big Ten champs.

“I knew it was going to be crazy, but you can’t really think about stuff like that,” Mangham said of the reaction. “At the end of the day, it is a business. I knew what was going to come with it. I knew what people were going to say, but it really didn’t matter at the end of the day.

“I don’t really pay attention to it. I don’t interact with it, I don’t listen to any of it. Right now, I’m just focused on helping my team win, just staying on track.”

Mangham isn’t particularly interested if his former Spartan teammates are still upset about him leaving for the program they hate with a passion.

“It’s really their choice. If they’re still upset, they can be upset,” he said. “When I entered the portal, only a couple of them reached out, so how can you be upset at that? Only really a couple of my guys reached out and talked to me about it. But if you’re upset about it and you didn’t reach out to me, I really don’t see how that makes sense for you to be upset. You obviously didn’t care enough when I entered the portal, so…”

The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder chose Michigan for its academics and track record developing professional football players. When he was coming out of high school, Michigan recruited Mangham as a wide receiver, but he wanted to play defensive back. During his portal courtship, the Wolverines coveted him at safety all the way.

“Yeah, it was a crazy decision,” Mangham said. “A lot of it had to do with academics and graduating. This gave me the best pathway to graduating, staying on course with all of that, and I felt it gave me the best path to get to the league. It’s Michigan.

“When I was here on my visit, it was amazing. Talking to the coaches — [head] Coach [Sherrone] Moore, [secondary] Coach [LaMar] Morgan — they told me the truth. They told me everything they needed out of me and what they had planned for me.”

Michigan will take on MSU Oct. 25 in East Lansing, shooting for its fourth-straight victory over the Big Ten opponent.

“Yeah, that’s definitely going to be a crazy game, going back there, too,” Mangham said. “I’m definitely excited for that. I can’t wait.”

Mangham is actually an MSU graduate, having finished up his degree in December 2024 after arriving at Michigan. He’s now studying social work at U-M as a graduate student.

Walking at MSU graduation, he sported a unique cap with his name, jersey number and the Big Ten and Jordan Brand logos … all in maize and blue.

“My girlfriend did it for me,” Mangham said with a laugh.

Back healthy and better than ever

Mangham hardly played last season, dealing with a nagging injury that held him out of all but one contest. He returned healthy in 2025, though, and earned his first start as a Wolverine in the 24-13 loss at Oklahoma last weekend.

“I definitely feel like people forgot, but at the same time, I’m just putting my head down and working,” Mangham said. “I know I’m still that player — I just have to work to get back to it. The coaches trust me enough, so I just have to keep putting in work.”

It was an honor to start his first game in a winged helmet.

““t was great,” Mangham said of starting against Oklahoma. “Missing a whole year was tough, batting back from injury. But I just put my head down and worked, and I was able to get back. And the coaches were able to trust me enough to start me in a big game, so I’m forever grateful for that.”

Since last taking the field at nearly all-conference level, Mangham has taken strides in his game while developing at Michigan.

“My tackling,” he said of where he’s improved. “I definitely feel like my tackling. I gave up a lot of plays when I was at MSU — a lot of bad angles, bad eyes. I’ve improved on that, and I would say the coaches would say the same.”

Mangham has recorded 6 tackles, including a half-stop for loss, through two games this season. He recorded 4 interceptions as a sophomore at MSU in 2023.