Jaden Mangham reflects on transferring to Michigan from MSU: 'I knew it was going to be crazy'

Safety Jaden Mangham transferred to Michigan last offseason, but the former starter at Michigan State saw zero snaps in 2024 with the Wolverines. Mangham battled injuries and thought it was best to take last year to rehab and build his body back up. But last week against Oklahoma, Mangham recorded his first start with Michigan, where he had three tackles.

"It was pretty great," Mangham said. "Missing a whole year, it was tough, battling back from injury. But I just put my head down and worked and I was able to get back. And the coaches were able to trust me enough to start me in a big game. I'm forever grateful for that." 

Of course, Mangham made waves when he announced that he was transferring to Michigan from rival Michigan State ahead of the 2024 season. The Michigan native was one of the best defensive players on the Spartans in 2023, but Mangham told reporters on Tuesday that it was a business decision -- he was going to get developed in Ann Arbor.

"It was a crazy decision," said Mangham. "A lot of it had to do with academics and graduating. This gave me the best pathway to graduate and staying on course for all of that. And I felt it gave me the best path to get to the league. It's Michigan.

"I knew it was going to be crazy, but you can't really think about stuff like that," Mangham said of transferring to Michigan from MSU. "I mean, at the end of the day, it is a business. I knew it was going to come with it.

"I knew what people were going to say, but it really didn't matter at the end of the day. … I don't interact with [the outside noise]. I don't listen to any of it right now. I'm just focused on helping my team win."

This season Michigan heads back to East Lansing, and with Mangham squarely in the rotation, he is excited to get back to East Lansing and play against his former team. Mangham said only a few of his former teammates reached out to him when he opted to enter the portal -- he can't wait to play the Spartans.

"That's definitely going to be a crazy game — going back there, too. I'm definitely excited for that. I can't wait."

Fans can see Mangham and the Wolverines back in action on Saturday at Noon ET against Central Michigan.