Tag: Jared Wangler

Visitors: Michigan vs. Minnesota

Keyon Addison – CB – Saginaw (MI) Saginaw: Addison is a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect for 2014 with no offers at this time.

Trevon Avery – CB – Grand Blanc (MI) Grand Blanc: Avery is a 6’1″, 165 lb. prospect for 2015 with no offers at this time. He’s the younger brother of Michigan cornerback Courtney Avery.

Cole Chewins – TE – Clarkston (MI) Clarkston: Chewins is a 6’7″, 208 lb. prospect for 2015 with no offers at this time.

Jackson Hale – DE – Milford (MI) Milford: Hale is a 6’3″, 225 lb. prospect for 2016 with no offers at this time.

Drake Harris – WR – Grand Rapids (MI) Christian: Harris committed to Michigan in April. He has yet to play this season due to a hamstring injury.

Lavert Hill – CB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Hill is a 5’9″, 160 lb. prospect for 2016 with no offers at this time. He’s the younger brother of Michigan safety Delano Hill.

Joshua Jackson – QB – Saline (MI) Saline: Jackson is a 2016 prospect with no offers at this time. He’s the younger brother of Michigan wide receiver Jeremy Jackson and the son of running backs coach Fred Jackson.

Tyree Kinnel – S – Huber Heights (OH) Wayne: Kinnel committed to Michigan in August. Here’s a look at how his season is going so far.

Alex Malzone – QB – Birmingham (MI) Brother Rice: Malzone is a 6’2″, 185 lb. prospect for 2015 with offers from Bowling Green and Toledo. He is perhaps the top QB prospect in the state of Michigan for his class.


Jalen Martin – WR – Harper Woods (MI) Chandler Park Academy: Martin is a 6’3″, 190 lb. prospect for 2016 with an offer from Eastern Michigan. He’s the former teammate of Michigan wide receiver Csont’e York.

Jimmy Martin – LB – Maitland (FL) Orangewood Christian: Martin is a 5’11”, 215 lb. prospect for 2015 with offers from Duke, Florida International, and Western Michigan. He has a sister who plays water polo for the Wolverines. According to 247’s Composite rankings, Martin is a 3-star and the #25 inside linebacker in his class.

Riley Neal – QB – Yorktown (IN) Yorktown: Neal is a 6’5″, 200 lb. prospect for 2015 with no offers at this time. He has 1,300 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in six games this season.

Giovanni Rescigno – QB – Warren (MI) De La Salle: Rescigno is a 6’4″, 210 lb. prospect for 2014 with no offers at this time. He attends the alma mater of freshman quarterback Shane Morris and is a teammate of 2014 linebacker commit Jared Wangler.

Joshua Ross – LB – Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s: Ross is a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect for 2017 with no offers at this time. He’s the younger brother of Michigan linebacker James Ross. The younger Ross will miss the remainder of his high school season due to an ankle injury.

Nathan Skene – TE – Hartland (MI) Hartland: Skene is a 6’3″, 195 lb. prospect for 2016 with no offers at this time. He’s the son of former Michigan offensive lineman Doug Skene.

Jared Wangler – LB – Warren (MI) De La Salle: Wangler committed to Michigan in August. Here’s a look at how his senior season is going.

Maurice Ways – WR – Detroit (MI) Country Day: Ways committed to Michigan in April. Here’s a glance at how his senior season is going.

Rivals: Pre-season in-state top 20 prospects

The Wolverine released its top 20 in-state prospects for the class of 2014, and the Wolverines are well represented on the list. Here’s the list with commitments listed in parentheses and offerees bolded:

1. Malik McDowell – DE – Southfield
2. Damon Webb – CB – Detroit Cass Tech (Ohio State)
3. Drake Harris – WR – Grand Rapids Christian (Michigan)
4. Tyler Wiegers – QB – Detroit Country Day (Rutgers)
5. Jalen Embry – CB – Detroit King
6. Maurice Ways – WR – Detroit Country Day (Michigan)
7. Tim Cason – CB – Clarkston (Western Michigan)
8. Avonte Maddox – ATH – Detroit King (Pitt)
9. Lawrence Marshall – DE – Southfield (Michigan)
10. Byron Bullough – LB – Traverse City St. Francis (Michigan State)
11. Deon Drake – LB – Detroit Cass Tech (Michigan State)
12. Tommy Doles – OT – Grand Rapids Christian (Northwestern)
13. Chance Stewart – QB – Sturgis (Western Michigan)
14. Connor Hayes – OG – Traverse City West (Pitt)
15. Jared Wangler – LB – Warren De La Salle (Michigan)
16. Travis Smith – QB – Ithaca (Toledo)
17. Jalen Watts-Jackson – CB – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (Michigan State)
18. Matt Sokol – TE – Rochester Adams (Michigan State)
19. David Beedle – DT – Clarkston (Michigan State)
20. William White – LB – Detroit Cass Tech

Jared Wangler, Wolverine

Jared Wangler (image via 247 Sports)

Warren (MI) De La Salle linebacker Jared Wangler committed to Michigan on Thursday but kept it on the down low until Friday afternoon. He had previously been committed to Penn State and also had offers from Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, LSU, Michigan State, Ohio, Toledo, and Western Michigan.

Wangler is a 6’1″, 215 lb. linebacker. As a junior in 2012, he had 76 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 1 interception, which was returned for a touchdown. He also claims a 4.56 forty and a 34.5″ vertical leap. He has accepted an invitation to play in the Under Armour All-America Game.

RATINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 77 grade, #63 OLB
Rivals: 2-star OLB
Scout: 3-star, #53 OLB
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #69 S, #846 overall

Wangler, the son of former Michigan quarterback John, was not offered by Michigan until last week. That offer came on the heels of a couple guys committing to other schools (Jimmie Swain IV to TCU, Richard Yeargin III to Notre Dame), and the coaches obviously wanted a fourth linebacker. He had to think about it for a few days, particularly because he was committed to the Nittany Lions; I imagine that time had more to do with respecting PSU’s coaching staff than actually making the decision, which seemed to be a foregone conclusion once the offer came in. Along with being the son of John, he’s the brother of freshman preferred walk-on wide receiver Jack and the former teammate of freshman quarterback Shane Morris.

I’ve said this before, but Jared seems to be a SAM linebacker in a WILL linebacker’s body. He has said that the coaches have told him he could play either one, which is a little odd, since they’re two very different positions. He seems to diagnose plays pretty quickly, and I would trust him to hold the edge. He does a good job of always moving his feet, so he’s able to maintain outside leverage, avoid getting reached, and keep his feet running after contact. He also has some experience playing as a safety, and it’s evident that he takes to coaching and fundamentals well; you can see it in his stance, backpedal, and gap responsibilities. He has decent speed for a linebacker.

One “weakness” in regard to the SAM linebacker position is that he is not particularly tall or long, and he does not have a huge frame to bulk up; I think his optimal weight might be around 230 lbs. or so before he gets too heavy for his frame. For reference’s sake, Michigan’s current starting SAM is 6’3″, 240 lb. Jake Ryan. For him to fit at SAM, I think he would have to play in a 4-3 Over defense, where he could cover the tight end and play in the C gap. As for the WILL position, I think Wangler has the mental aptitude but not the speed; he diagnoses the plays quickly, but I think he’ll be too slow to slice into the backfield or beat Big Ten running backs to the hole. He also has a tendency to shed blockers with his shoulder rather than using his hands, which will get him into trouble with bigger players.

Overall, I’m not sure where Wangler fits best. He plays like a SAM with the frame of a WILL. I think he could be a quality special teams player, and he is a good, fundamental football player, so I think he can play a role on the team. I’m not sure that he has the physical makeup to be a star at any point, however.

This is Michigan’s fourth linebacker commit in the 2014 class and the sixteenth overall (including grayshirt defensive tackle Brady Pallante). Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra linebacker Dwight Williams seems not to be an option, since even these four linebackers seem to be a lot for this class. Williams has been pretty intent on taking an official to Michigan and is a better prospect than any of Michigan’s linebacker commits, in my opinion, so it will be interesting to see how the staff handles him.

TTB Rating: 59 (ratings explanation)

Recruiting Update: August 5, 2013

George Campbell, Jr.

COMMITMENTS
Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake wide receiver George Campbell, Jr. committed to Michigan.

Berea (KY) Madison Southern running back Damien Harris committed to Michigan.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Warren (MI) De La Salle linebacker Jared Wangler was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 218 lb. prospect who’s committed to Penn State and has offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Michigan State, and a bunch of MAC schools. He’s also the son of former Michigan quarterback John Wangler and the brother of incoming freshman walk-on wideout Jack. As a junior in 2012, he had 76 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 1 interception, which was returned for a touchdown. 247’s Composite ranking places him as a3-star, the #69 overall player, and the #844 player overall. He will play in the Under Armour All-American Game. Michigan is recruiting him as a SAM linebacker, but he’s a little short for the position.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Huber Heights (OH) Wayne safety Tyree Kinnel was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas and Kentucky, too. He has visited Michigan several times this offseason and was clearly angling for an offer from Michigan, even mentioning that he was a little bit upset that they hadn’t offered. He attends the alma mater of former Michigan players Terrence and Terry Talbott, two brothers who didn’t last long in Michigan uniforms, and current Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller. This is a bit of an odd offer because Kinnel is smaller than most of the guys Michigan offers at safety, but he’s a solid tackler with decent ball skills. He’s a little bit reminiscent of current starting safety Thomas Gordon.

OFF THE BOARD
Scottsdale (AZ) Desert Mountain wide receiver Mark Andrews committed to Oklahoma. The 6’6″, 230-pounder really wanted to play wide receiver in college and was a little bit put off by Michigan’s intention to turn him into a tight end. The coaches did eventually tell him that he could play wide receiver, but he just wasn’t that interested.

New Castle (PA) New Castle safety Malik Hooker committed to Ohio State. Hooker was being recruited as a cornerback by Michigan and could also play wide receiver, but the Buckeyes are taking him as a safety.

Fort Worth (TX) All Saints Episcopal offensive guard Demetrius Knox committed to Ohio State. Knox had previously been committed to Texas, but the chance to get arrested play for Urban Meyer was too enticing.

Lee’s Summit (MO) Lee’s Summit outside linebacker Jimmie Swain IV committed to TCU. Michigan was recruiting Swain even after the commitment of Noah Furbush, and the offer to Jared Wangler may be the result of Swain committing elsewhere.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) University School defensive end/outside linebacker Richard Yeargin III committed to Notre Dame. Along with Hooker and Swain, Yeargin had Michigan in his small group of finalists.