Michigan Signing Day 2014: Jared Wangler Inked & Faxed

Recruitment In Summary

Wangler had one of the more interesting recruiting paths in Michigan's mostly bland class of 2014. As a legacy recruit, he naturally had Michigan on his radar from day one. The Wolverines took too long to extend him an offer, watching as he slipped away to Penn State.

Months later, Michigan extended Wangler a scholarship offer; he flipped less than a week later, turning down other offers from Michigan State, LSU, Cincinnati, Indiana, Yale and a host of MAC schools. Family ties paid off for Michigan yet again.

Ratings and Attributes

Star Rating: Wangler is a mid three-star prospect whose offer sheet leans toward four-star status; LSU, Michigan State and Penn State all know how to turn linebackers into destroyers of all things offense, so let's assume him to be better than his ratings might suggest.

Strengths: Wangler is very versatile, being recruited as a strong safety by some schools and as an inside linebacker by others. His ball skills exceed those of the average linebacker recruit by a great deal, as does his awareness in coverage. He's a very savvy player with good but not great athleticism and respectable technique.

Weaknesses: Strength and positional fit definitely hurt Wangler's ratings. Is he Kovacs at safety? Or a short SAM? Or maybe a skinny MIKE? He's locked in for linebacker at the next level, which means he has some work to do in the weight room; 230 pounds looks like his future playing weight.

Future Impact

Years Until He Sees the Field: 2-3

I don't see Wangler getting onto the field during his redshirt freshman season outside of some special teams play. The SAM linebacker position could be loaded by the time he's strong enough to get onto the field, and he simply doesn't play like an inside linebacker right now. He could shatter my expectations and jump up the depth chart because of his field awareness and ball skills, but I don't see it happening. I think he's the kind of player who could really turn the corner and come on strong as an upperclassmen, which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.