Jacob Oden commits to 鈥榗hildhood dream school鈥� Michigan
HARPER WOODS, Mich. (BVM) 鈥� As a junior this past fall, Harper Woods High School football player Jacob Oden established himself as one of the best players in the state. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound athlete played both sides of the ball for the Pioneers where he was both a standout wide receiver and defensive back. A hotly pursued player, Oden held 37 offers as a member of the Class of 2024, but as of Feb. 2, those options were narrowed to one.
Oden will not have to go far during his college career as he committed to the in-state University of Michigan. With his commitment, Oden became the seventh member of the Class of 2024 for the Wolverines.
鈥淸The difference was] how comfortable I felt and how comfortable the coaches made me feel up there,鈥� Oden said. 鈥淭hey showed a lot of love in the recruiting process and made sure that I knew I was the number one priority for them.
鈥淚t feels great. It was my childhood dream school. Most of my family went there so it鈥檚 great to be able to carry on the tradition.鈥�
Hometown hero
— Jacob Oden 4 猸愶笍 ATH (@JacobOden4)
The rising senior is one of the top players in the nation in the Class of 2024. Listed as an athlete, Oden ranks as the No. 5 prospect in Michigan, the No. 17 athlete in the nation, and the No. 160 overall prospect nationally by . Oden also ranks as the No. 153 prospect in the .听
Last season, Oden was a key contributor for his Pioneers team both offensively and defensively. As a receiver, Oden recorded 31 catches for 529 yards and six touchdowns. On defense, Oden registered 39 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, two sacks, and an interception. While Oden understands his versatility is key for his success at the high school level, he admits the Michigan staff sees him playing all along the defensive backfield.
鈥淚鈥檓 a pick-and-play dude. They can place me anywhere on the field and I鈥檒l just do what I鈥檝e got to do there,鈥� Oden said. 鈥淢y versatility is great because if somebody goes on I can step in for them so I can do whatever they need me to do on the field. I can play inside, outside, all of [the defensive back positions].鈥�
Oden comes in with a strong understanding of coachability, that鈥檚 because of his high school head coach, who also happens to be his father. Rod Oden is the Pioneers‘ head coach and a former Michigan walk-on. He knows a thing or two about Division I talent as well as he has coached a number of college football standouts including former Wolverine Brandon Graham. This knowledge of the game has rubbed up on his oldest son as he also prepares for his career in Ann Arbor.
鈥淢y dad was excited, I think he was thinking that since I was born that I was going to end up at Michigan so that was an exciting thing,鈥� Jacob said. 鈥淥bviously he knows what he鈥檚 doing so we鈥檙e going to listen to him. He鈥檚 never going to lead us wrong because he knows what he鈥檚 talking about. He鈥檚 a great coach, he’s been doing it for a lot of years and has that experience.鈥�
Its Great to be鈥�..
— Coach Rod Oden (@CoachRodOden)
Jacob also plays a key role for the Wolverines‘ recruiting prospects in the class. As the first in-state commit for Michigan, he is going to be recruiting other athletes from the state and the area with offers from the program.
鈥淚鈥檓 coming and I鈥檓 trying to bring a whole bunch of guys with me,鈥� Jacob said.
Before Jacob can get to Ann Arbor though, he has one last season at Harper Woods. Given it is his last rodeo under the tutelage of his dad, he has one goal in mind: a state title.
鈥淲e want a state championship,鈥� Jacob said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my only goal, my number one goal, the only thing I鈥檓 focused on.鈥�
With his future decided, Jacob is excited to be able to rep his home state and be a hometown hero of sorts for the Wolverines. His goal at Michigan is much like his at Harper Woods, winning championships.
鈥淸Expect] a lot of wins, a lot of Ws, a lot of championships, a lot of hardware,鈥� Jacob said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be big for Michigan and I鈥檓 going to be the head of that too.鈥�
