2024 Season Countdown: #102 Jake Guarnera

Tag: Jake Guarnera


9Jun 2024
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2024 Season Countdown: #102 Jake Guarnera

Jake Guarnera (image via 247 Sports)

Name: Jake Guarnera
Height:
6’4″
Weight:
308 lbs.
High school:
Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra
Position:
Center
Class:
Freshman
Jersey number:
#53
Last year:
Guarnera was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating:
80

Guarnera was a somewhat anonymous recruit when he committed to the Wolverines. His father Jim played defensive line at Rutgers, but Jake wasn’t getting a ton of recruiting attention. He committed to Michigan in April of 2023 with the belief that he was headed for center after playing offensive tackle, and his high school coaching staff transitioned him to center to help him get a jump start on his college career. I think that was a positive thing for Guarnera to get used to snapping the ball, as he now has almost a full season of playing in the middle (he still played some occasional tackle as a senior when the team needed him there).

Guarnera enrolled early and is up to 308 pounds, which is 20+ pounds heavier than he was as a recruit. There are still a lot of things to work on as a center, such as speeding up his initial step and being quicker with his off (non-snapping) hand. I like the way he gets all his cleats in the ground to make contact, but the initial movements are just a hare slow right now. I’m guessing those traits will get markedly improved as he gets more and more practice playing the center position. But for the 2024 season, Michigan has Greg Crippen slated to be the starter and Raheem Anderson II penciled in as his primary backup. Guarnera may get a few snaps in four games to get him some experience while preserving his redshirt, but he’s probably headed for a season of watching from the sideline.

Prediction: Redshirt

20Nov 2023
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Visitors: Michigan vs. Ohio State

Burley (ID) Burley WR Gatlin Bair may head to Ann Arbor for the OSU game

2024 PROSPECTS

Gatlin Bair – WR – Burley (ID) Burley: Bair is a 6’2″, 195-pounder who is committed to Boise State, who just fired head coach Andy Avalos. Bair is headed on a two-year Mormon mission after high school, so he will basically end up being a 2026 prospect. Bair is also considering Michigan and Oregon, along with BSU. He’s a 4-star, the #10 WR, and #40 overall. This visit is a possibility, but not set in stone at this point.

Zaquan Patterson – S – Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna: Patterson is a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect who is committed to Miami. He’s a teammate of 2025 Michigan commit Chris Ewald. Patterson is a 4-star, the #5 safety, and #70 overall.

2024 COMMITS

QB Jadyn Davis
RB Micah Ka’apana
RB Jordan Marshall
WR Channing Goodwin
WR I’Marion Stewart
TE Hogan Hansen
TE Brady Prieskorn
OL Blake Frazier
OL Jake Guarnera
OL Luke Hamilton
OL Ben Roebuck
OL Andrew Sprague
DE Ted Hammond
DT Owen Wafle
LB Jeremiah Beasley
LB Mason Curtis
LB Zach Ludwig
LB Cole Sullivan
CB Jeremiah Lowe

Hit the jump for more.

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28Jul 2023
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Visitors: 2023 BBQ at the Big House

Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna safety Zaquan Patterson (image via 247 Sports)

Please consider making your Amazon purchases through TTB links (LINK):

Michigan’s annual BBQ at the Big House will be taking place on July 29-30. With a lot of connections already made for the current 2024 recruiting class, the BBQ is always largely about making inroads with underclassmen. Below is a list of players expected to make it to Ann Arbor for the BBQ:

TRANSFER

Nigel Glover – LB – Northwestern: Glover is a 6’3″, 210 lb. transfer from Northwestern who decided to leave the Wildcats after head coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired. He was a 4-star, the #30 linebacker, and #335 overall in the class of 2023 and was the program’s highest rated signee. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Pitt, Purdue, Washington, and West Virginia were some of the other Power Five programs after him out of high school, so that’s a decent offer list but not a great one.

2024

Jeremiah Beasley – LB – Belleville (MI) Belleville: Beasley is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Jadyn Davis – QB – Charlotte (NC) Providence Day: Davis is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Blake Frazier – OT – Austin (TX) Vandegrift: Frazier is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Channing Goodwin – WR – Charlotte (NC) Providence Day: Goodwin is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Jake Guarnera – C – Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra: Guarnera is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Luke Hamilton – OG – Avon (OH) Avon: Hamilton is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Ted Hammond – DE – Cincinnati (OH) St. Xavier: Hammond is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Jordan Marshall – RB – Cincinnati (OH) Moeller: Marshall is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Jacob Oden – S – Harper Woods (MI) Harper Woods: Oden is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Zaquan Patterson – S – Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna: Patterson is a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #3 safety, and #76 overall. A teammate of 2025 Michigan commit Chris Ewald (see below), this is Patterson’s second unofficial visit to Ann Arbor.

Brady Prieskorn – TE – Rochester (MI) Adams: Prieskorn is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Ben Roebuck – OT – Lakewood (OH) St. Edward: Roebuck is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Jaden Smith – LB – Charlotte (NC) West: Smith is committed to Michigan (LINK).

I’Marion Stewart – WR – Chicago (IL) Kenwood: Stewart is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Hit the jump for the younger prospects.

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14Jun 2023
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Visitors: June 16-18, 2023

Springfield (OH) Springfield cornerback Aaron Scott, Jr. (image via SI)

2024

Devon Baxter – DE – Brandywine (MD) Gwynn Park: Baxter is a 6’6″, 225-pounder with offers from Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #27 edge, and #387 overall.

Jeremiah Beasley – LB – Belleville (MI) Belleville: Beasley is a 6’1″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Tennessee, and others. He’s a 4-star, the #28 linebacker, and #321 overall. Right now there are four crystal balls for Michigan and four for MSU. He’s the younger brother of Maliq Carr, a tight end for Michigan State.

Jadyn Davis – QB – Charlotte (NC) Providence Day: Davis is committed to Michigan (LINK). This is his official visit.

Darrion Dupree – RB – Chicago (IL) Mount Carmel: Dupree is a 5’10”, 190 lb. back with offers from Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #32 running back, and #367 overall. With Jordan Marshall already in the fold and top-50 prospect Taylor Tatum coming in for an official visit next week – not to mention Micah Kaapana visiting last week – it’s unclear how Michigan is going to handle taking a second back in the class, or perhaps even a third. This is an official visit for Dupree. UPDATE: Dupree is no longer planning to visit.

Hit the jump for more.

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30Apr 2023
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Jake Guarnera, Wolverine

Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra offensive lineman Jake Guarnera

Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra center Jake Guarnera committed to Michigan on Friday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Florida, Miami, Ole Miss, and Penn State, among others.

I wrote up a full scouting report on Guarnera Friday before his commitment, so feel free to check that out (LINK).

I had been working on an “If I Had My Druthers” post regarding finishing out the offensive line class, but there’s only so much time in a day, so I ran out of real estate for getting that posted. I still may complete the post now that Guarnera is in the fold, but . . . he was not particularly high on that list. The amazing thing is that it’s not even that he’s a bad prospect, but he was low on the list because so many high-quality linemen are interested in Michigan.

Guarnera will have to transition from playing left tackle in high school to playing center (or guard) in college, and it’s always difficult to gauge how those moves will go. For example, Reece Atteberry was another tackle who was slated for center, but he does not seem to have gained much traction there and now plays exclusively at guard.

Michigan now has five offensive linemen in the class and will probably try to land a sixth, if not a seventh. Guarnera is the best bet to play center. He is the third lowest ranked commit in the class, ahead of only German native Manuel Beigel and little known Zach Ludwig.

Guarnera would be the first player from Ponte Vedra High to play for Michigan.