While the Michigan football contingent hopes for a few commitments on national signing day, Feb. 1, to close the 2023 cycle, the Wolverines are also hoping for some continued momentum the following day.
The maize and blue have long been after 2024 Harper Woods (Michigan) four-star defensive back Jacob Oden. He is the son of former Wolverines walk-on Rod Oden, the head coach of the Harper Woods program. The younger Oden is listed as an athlete on the 247Sports composite. He is ranked as the No. 160 player overall, the 17th-best athlete and fifth-best player in the state of Michigan in the 2024 recruiting cycle.
On Tuesday morning, he announced he plans to make his decision public on Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. EST and will choose among Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa and Tennessee.
I’ll be committing February 2nd at 6pm on @CBSSports @AllenTrieu @ChadSimmons_ @adamgorney @SWiltfong247 pic.twitter.com/R971tVe9ws
— Jacob Oden 4 ⭐️ ATH (@JacobOden4) January 31, 2023
The 247Sports crystal ball favors Michigan; all eight predictions are for the Wolverines. However, Rivals’ FutureCast is split: Five analysts and publishers favor MSU and four publishers pick the maize and blue. The On3 recruiting prediction machine gives Michigan a 95.7% chance of landing the legacy prospect.
Oden is listed at 6 feet, one-half inch and 185 pounds. While 247Sports has him as an athlete, the other sites list him as a safety. Oden has been a long-time participant in the SoundMind SoundBody camps and has a strong kinship with current Michigan football cornerback Will Johnson, who also was a frequent participant in the camps.
