ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jaden Mangham says his 2024 decision to transfer from Michigan State to rival Michigan was centered around academics and a potential future in professional football.
The former all-Big Ten safety, who spoke to reporters on Tuesday for the first time since arriving in Ann Arbor, viewed Michigan as providing “the best path to get to the league.”
“It’s Michigan,” Mangham said. “I was here on my visit and it was amazing. Talking to the coaches, coach (Sherrone) Moore, coach (Lamar) Morgan, they told me the truth, they told me everything they needed out of me and my plan for me.”
That plan was later derailed by injury, setting him back in preseason camp last summer and slowing his progress learning Wink Martindale’s system. The decision was made to shut him down for the season last fall, paving the way for a fresh start in 2025.
But seeing the field at Michigan has not been easy. In addition to injury, Mangham has taken lots of flak from MSU fans and former teammates for jumping ship, trading his green and white uniform for a maize and blue one. Transfers from one side of the heated rivalry to the other are not unheard of, but still uncommon.
“I knew it was going to be crazy, but you can’t really think about stuff like that,” Mangham said. “At the end of the day, it’s a business. I knew what was going to come with it. I knew what people were going to say, but it didn’t really matter at the end of the day.”
A Birmingham, Mich., native, Mangham was fully aware of the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry growing up. While starring as a two-way player at Groves High School, he had interest from both schools, but the Wolverines viewed him more as a wide receiver back then.
“That was probably a little more reason why I chose Michigan State, because I was playing DB and felt like DB was giving me the best route to the NFL,” Mangham said.
Michigan tight end Colston Loveland (18) scores a touchdown against Michigan State defensive backs Jaden Mangham (1) and Dillon Tatum, second from left, during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)AP
Mangham spent two seasons at MSU, appearing in 20 games while making 12 starts at free safety, even garnering all-Big Ten honorable mention honors in 2023. He was known as a ball disruptor, notching four interceptions and seven pass breakups as a sophomore, but felt like a change of scenery was required after MSU fired disgraced head coach Mel Tucker and brought in a new staff led by Jonathan Smith.
He graduated from MSU in three years with a degree in communications, even attending the ceremony in December with a blue cap and his Michigan jersey nameplate embroidered on top. Images of Mangham in a green gown with the hat on and him forming an ‘M’ with his hands can be found on social media. “My girlfriend did it for me,” Mangham said of the hat.
Still, there’s no love lost from Mangham, even as the chirping continues from the other side. He said only a few of his MSU teammates reached out when he entered the transfer portal in April 2024, making the opinions of those who cut ties with him invalid in his mind.
“If they’re still upset, they can be upset,” Mangham said. “Only really a couple of my guys reached out (and) talked to me about it. If you’re upset about it and didn’t reach out to me, I really don’t see how that makes sense for you to be upset. Because you obviously didn’t care enough when I entered the portal.”
More than a year later, Mangham is healthy again and a major contributor to the Michigan defense. He got the start safety Saturday against Oklahoma, notching four tackles and aided in a sack on quarterback John Mateer. Since arriving in Ann Arbor, Mangham says his tackling has drastically improved under the watchful eye of the Michigan coaching staff. “I feel like I gave up a lot of plays while I was at MSU, a lot of bad angles, a lot of bad eyes,” he says.
He also quietly worked his way up the depth chart this offseason, taking regular reps with the first and second teams, angling his way back to the field. Mangham didn’t start the opener against New Mexico but played 39 snaps, and played well, paving the way for his first start in nearly two years against the Sooners.
“I’m just putting my head down and working,” Mangham said. “I know I’m still that player; I’ve just got to work to get back to it. The coaches trust me enough so I’ve just got to keep putting in work.”
In mid-August, Michigan defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan, who helped lure Mangham away from East Lansing, felt optimistic about Mangham’s chances of seeing the field this season. He touted the 6-foot-2, 195-pound defensive back’s range and work ethic, while openly admitting that he challenged Mangham to find his 2023 self.
“There’s a story within a story with him,” Morgan said. “You leave your rival and you get here and you get hurt, and you don’t play and you redshirt. People are like, ‘Why, what happened?’ It’s adversity and I think it made him grow.”
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