Early Signing Day: Jacob Oden signs with Michigan football

An in-state legacy that’s an absolute game-changer! #GoBlue

Ratings

Stars Overall Position State
247Sports 4 #29 S #7
On3 4 #35 S #8
Rivals 4 211 #16 S #5
ESPN 4 235 #25 S #5
247Sports Composite 4 280 #29 S #6
On3 Consensus 4 291 #25 S #6

Vitals

Hometown Harper Woods (Mich.)
Projected Position Safety
Height 6-foot-1
Weight 188-pounds

Notable offers

Readiness Level

Blossomed in high school from his sophomore to junior years, and could provide depth if the current starters don’t return. Likely to take a few years as Keon Sabb and Zeke Berry matriculate.

Notes

  • Committed February 2, 2023
  • Son of former Michigan walk-on and current Harper Woods coach Rod Oden

Scouting report

Via 247Sports’ Chris Singletary:

Oden has a well-built frame with a good amount of proportion of lean muscle mass and definition from head to toe. Measuring in at 6-foot-1 with a 6-foot-4 and half-inch wingspan he has more than adequate length. He has broad shoulders and a lower half that provides him with the necessary explosion and burst. Weighing at 187-pounds he is ready from a mass standpoint to play on the collegiate level right now. The intriguing piece is that with a size-14 shoe one would believe that he still has a lot of room left to grow going forward.

From a movement and agility standpoint Oden is very smooth and comfortable in his pedal. He does a good job transitioning out of his back-pedal when he is breaking on the ball with little wasted movement. Possesses fluid hip movement when he has to turn and run without struggling to make the transition. He has very good overall body control that always for him to be in position often to make plays. In coverage he understands how to use leverage on the receiver to stay in good football position and take away certain routes by his route recognition and football intelligence. He is willing to play physical on receivers to slow them down in regards to time and knock them off their routes. More than a willing tackler whether he is lined up at the corner position, nickel or from the safety spot where he comes down in the box from the deep middle as well as half field alignment.

Once he is able to settle in and focus on the nuances of playing on the backend in college I believe there will be a jump in game. The football instincts matched with the physical talent and traits give evidence to him becoming a player that will be a factor both on special teams and within the core of the defense as a Safety.

Film

Original commitment story

Michigan football gets a commitment from prized 2024 in-state recruit

 

What does “ATH” mean: Breaking down three Michigan commits

More clarity on some top prospects! #GoBlue

Michigan has a history of recruiting versatile players. Whether it be Jabrill Peppers playing essentially every spot on defense (and offense), or Mike Sainristil making the switch from WR to CB without a hitch, Harbaugh loves football guys.

Michigans 2024 class is no different. Jadyn Davis and Jordan Marshall may take the cake as the top names, but Harbaugh and his staff made sure to load up on prospects who can do it all.

As background knowledge, it is important to know what the ‘ATH’ tag means. Essentially, this is a position assigned to athletes who have the ability to play multiple spots at the next level. Sometimes players have it temporarily, other times they carry it throughout the entire cycle.

Players like Trevon Diggs, Jabrill Peppers, and Jordan Addison all finished their respective cycles at athletes, and would go on to have great college careers.

This year, Michigan has three players ready to contribute at different spots: Jacob Oden, Mason Curtis, and Jaden Smith. Each has a different role at their respective high schools, but can be game changers in the winged helmet.

Friday Night Notes: The Year of the Gamecock, Top 2024 recruit on the move again and more

South Carolina is on fire to start the new year.

USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.

South Carolina is on fire to start the new year. Over the last few weeks, head coach Shane Beamer has helped spearhead a recruiting surge that’s made Columbia the hottest destination in college football outside of Colorado.

The grand prize in this run has been getting the nation’s top uncommitted player to come on board. On Wednesday, top-ranked 2023 Athlete Nyckoles Harbor announced that he would attend South Carolina, dealing a blow to several other Power 5 programs in pursuit – including Michigan, Maryland and late-charging Oregon.

Harbor is just one of several blue-chip recruits that have signed on since the calendar flipped to 2023, though. Here’s who else they have picked up and where they now rank in this recruiting cycle and the next.

Woodland (SC) OT Kam Pringle

Ranked No. 46 overall and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the class of 2024, Pringle has literally been a massive (6-foot-7, 337 pounds) recruiter for the Gamecocks since committing on Jan. 22.

Here’s a look at Pringle pitching Harbor on Twitter:

Pringle had offers from 20 other schools, including Georgia, Clemson and Florida, which were the other main competitors.

Calvary Day (Ga.) TE Michael Smith

A couple days later, South Carolina also got a commitment from the No. 6 ranked tight end in the class in Smith (6-foot-4, 225 pounds). 30 other programs made Smith offers before he made his choice.

Greenville (SC) WR Mazeo Bennett

The latest recruit for Beamer and company just came in this morning when Bennett (6-foot-0, 180 pounds) announced for SC on Twitter:

Bennett is the third-ranked player in the state and is No. 31 among receivers in his class. He also had an offer from Tennessee and 22 all together, including most of the top programs in the SEC and ACC.

This all adds up to some serious momentum gained in the recruiting race. After adding Harbor, South Carolina’s recruiting class of 2023 now ranks No. 17 in the country. Their 2024 class is ranked No. 6 nationally.

4-star ATH Jacob Oden commits to rival UM over MSU, Penn State, others

Michigan State football has came up just short on a big-time instate prospect in the 2024 class

Michigan State football has came up just short on a big-time instate prospect in the 2024 class.

Four-star athlete Jacob Oden announced his college decision on Thursday evening, and he’s heading to Ann Arbor, Mich. Oden — who hails from Harper Woods, Mich. — choose Michigan over Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa and Tennessee.

Oden ranks as the No. 17 athlete and No. 5 player from Michigan in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2024 class. He also is listed as the No. 160 overall prospect in the class.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

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Michigan football reels in 2024 four-star legacy defensive back

HUGE get for #Michigan! #GoBlue

The Wolverines weren’t exactly on fire on the recruiting trail in 2023, but 2024 has gotten out to a much better start.

Entering February, the maize and blue had five commitments, four of whom are rated as four-star prospects, with the other being an international prospect who just arrived in the United States and hasn’t had much of an evaluation by the recruiting services.

And on Thursday, Michigan football was hoping that the class would grow one four-star larger.

2024 Harper Woods (Mich.) four-star defensive back Jacob Oden is the son of his high school coach, Rod Oden, who was a former walk-on in Ann Arbor. While the younger Oden vowed to keep his options open, joining his father’s alma mater was too much to pass up, as he committed to the Wolverines on Thursday evening.

He made the commitment live on the 247Sports YouTube page, and whose Michigan football over rival Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa, and Tennessee.

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Oden frequently trained at the SoundMind SoundBody camp, where current Wolverine cornerback Will Johnson was also a mainstay. At 6-foot-1, 187-pounds, Oden projects more to safety than cornerback.

Rivals is the highest on Oden, ranking him at the No. 132 player in the country, regardless of position.

Stars Rnk Pos St
247Sports 4 191 #24 ATH 6
On3 4 247 #22 S 6
Rivals 4 132 #13 S 5
ESPN 4 153 #13 S 4
247Sports Composite 4 160 #17 ATH 5
On3 Consensus 4 173 #14 S 5

With Oden in the fold, Michigan football is up to six commitments in the 2024 class and rises to No. 7 in the 247Sports team rankings after coming in at No. 12 prior to his pledge.

Steve Clinkscale was his primary recruiter for the Wolverines. He also had offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

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Michigan State football makes top-5 for 4-star ATH Jacob Oden

The Spartans have made the final cut for one of the best players in Michigan

Tomorrow, 4-star athlete Jacob Oden of the 2024 recruiting class will announce his college commitment. Leading into that decision, Oden announced his top-5, which include four Big Ten schools and one SEC.

His top-5 are:

  • Michigan State
  • Michigan
  • Tennessee
  • Penn State
  • Iowa

Oden is from Harper Woods, Michigan and is currently projected to end up at Michigan. He is the No. 160 ranked player in his class by 247Sports and their No. 5 ranked player in the state of Michigan.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Jacob Oden names Michigan State football in top five

Michigan State has made 4-star Jacob Oden’s top five with a decision looming

Jacob Oden is one of the top prospects in the 2024 recruiting class from the State of Michigan. The Harper Woods native projects as a defensive back at the next level. He is currently rated as a 4-star prospect as the No. 160 overall player in the recruiting class, and the No. 5 player in the state of Michigan according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Oden is ready to make his announcement, announcing that he will be committing on February 2nd. With that announcement came a top five announcement.

Michigan State is featured alongside Tennessee, Michigan, Penn State and Iowa.

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2024 Michigan football legacy sets commitment date, final top 5

There’s no way he doesn’t end up wearing maize and blue! #GoBlue

While the Michigan football contingent hopes for a few commitments on national signing day, Feb. 1, to close the 2023 cycle, the Wolverines are also hoping for some continued momentum the following day.

The maize and blue have long been after 2024 Harper Woods (Michigan) four-star defensive back Jacob Oden. He is the son of former Wolverines walk-on Rod Oden, the head coach of the Harper Woods program. The younger Oden is listed as an athlete on the 247Sports composite. He is ranked as the No. 160 player overall, the 17th-best athlete and fifth-best player in the state of Michigan in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

On Tuesday morning, he announced he plans to make his decision public on Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. EST and will choose among Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa and Tennessee.

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The 247Sports crystal ball favors Michigan; all eight predictions are for the Wolverines. However, Rivals’ FutureCast is split: Five analysts and publishers favor MSU and four publishers pick the maize and blue. The On3 recruiting prediction machine gives Michigan a 95.7% chance of landing the legacy prospect.

Oden is listed at 6 feet, one-half inch and 185 pounds. While 247Sports has him as an athlete, the other sites list him as a safety. Oden has been a long-time participant in the SoundMind SoundBody camps and has a strong kinship with current Michigan football cornerback Will Johnson, who also was a frequent participant in the camps.

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Badgers offer four-star athlete from Michigan

Wisconsin offered Jacob Oden, a class of 2024 four-star athlete from Michigan on Thursday.

Wisconsin offered Jacob Oden, a 6-foot-1 four-star athlete from Harper Woods, Michigan on Thursday. Oden is most experienced at free safety, but he has also logged snaps at cornerback and wide receiver.

The junior in high school still has one more season before he’d potentially make the jump to college football and join a program as a member of their class of 2024. Oden has received over 30 offers from Division 1 schools including both Michigan State and Michigan, the second of which is the favorite to land him according to 247Sports.

Wisconsin has already secured two recruits for the class of 2024, bringing in four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas) and cornerback Austin Alexander (Chicago Heights, Illinois).

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Michigan State football makes Top-5 for 2024 4-star safety Jacob Oden

Michigan State football makes Top-5 for 2024 4-star safety Jacob Oden

Michigan State football has been making some waves early in the process for the 2024 recruiting class, and they got another positive update on Tuesday as 2024 4-star safety Jacob Oden released his Top-5 and included the Spartans in that list, along with three other Big Ten schools and one from the SEC.

Oden is from Harper Woods, Michigan and is ranked as the No. 191 best player in his class by 247Sports and the No. 6 ranked player in the state of Michigan. He is currently projected by 247Sports’ experts to end up with the Spartans.

His Top-5 are:

  • Michigan
  • Michigan State
  • Penn State
  • Iowa
  • Tennessee

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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