Wolverine Digest

Early Signing Day: Jacob Oden Signs With Michigan Football

Michigan signed one of the top defensive players from the state of Michigan.
Trent Knoop|
Early Signing Day: Jacob Oden Signs With Michigan Football
Early Signing Day: Jacob Oden Signs With Michigan Football

In this story:

Michigan Wolverines

Harper Woods (Michigan) defensive back Jacob Oden

Notable Offers:

Auburn, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee

Scouting report from Chris Singletary via 247Sports:

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:

Twitter announcement:

Published
Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

Share on XFollow @trentknoop
Home/Recruiting