Michigan landed another OL recruit last Friday in picking up C prospect Jake Guarnera from Ponte Vedra, FL. Michigan had been looking to add a pure-C prospect to their vaunted OL class and zeroed in on Guarnera. The player was very interested in joining the class and put his name down quickly, bumping the Wolverines up to five OL in the 2024 recruiting class. Let's give him a Hello: 

 

GURU RATINGS

RATINGS BY SITE
247: 6'3.5/290	On3: 6'4/283	Rivals: 6'4/285	ESPN: 6'4/295
3*, 89, NR Ovr #25 IOL, #54 FL	3*, 89, NR Ovr #30 IOL, #61 FL	3*, 5.7, NR Ovr #18 OG, #74 FL	3*, 79, #190 SE #16 OG, #65 FL
3.85	3.82	3.80	3.83
COMPOSITE RANKINGS
247 Composite	On3 Consensus	MGoBlog
3*, 0.8878, #457 Ovr #28 IOL, #68 FL	3*, 88.91, #410 Ovr #29 IOL, #59 FL	3.5*, #509/786 Ovr #60/82 C/Gs since 1990
3.88	3.89	3.83

Guarnera is a high 3* according to all the sites. When I started on this Hello, Guarnera wasn't even ranked at ESPN but the Michigan commitment made them put in the smallest bit of effort. Converted to our five-star scale, Guarnera is firmly a 3.5* prospect. He will likely be the lowest-rated member of the 2024 OL class (he is at the moment), but Guarnera is rising up the boards, up about 200 spots since his commitment. Being deemed a take by OL U has that effect. The measurements are pretty consistent across the sites, hovering around 6'4" for the height and somewhere between 280-295 on the weight. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: movin' from LT to C]

 

SCOUTING

The first thing to know about Jake Guarnera as a recruit in HS is that like a lot of college centers, Guarnera is currently a tackle. Same story as typical, best OL on a middling HS team, so they need to use him at the most important spot on the line. Also helps that Guarnera has HS tackle size, but limited length means he will be moving inside and everyone in the industry agrees. This is far from odd in the grand scheme, but we should note it because in recent years Michigan has taken C prospects who have mostly been HS C's, Cesar Ruiz and Greg Crippen from IMG and Raheem Anderson out of Cass Tech. Guarnera is a reminder of the norm. 

With that in mind, we'll start with EJ Holland of On3, giving us a very brief blurb on what Michigan sees in Guarnera, compared to the other IOL prospects they were looking at ($): 

I have not had an opportunity to see Guarnera live, but he has good height for a true center — he’s taller than both Altuner and Flynn, who might have been 6-foot-1. He’s also a bit longer than both. While he’s not as physical as Altuner, he does display adequate power. While he’s not as athletic as Flynn, he does have more athleticism than Altuner. Overall, Guarnera won’t wow anyone, but he checks a lot of boxes.

Alright, sounds promising. Now we need some more detail. 247's national scout Andrew Irvins sheds more light on the kid with a more detailed breakdown: 

Doesn’t carry much bad weight, which in turn makes him an effective puller as he can quickly get lateral and move people out of the way. Consistently wins with heavy hands and a robust upper half. Also will finish off assignments by rolling his hips.

Irvins cites pass pro as the biggest area in need of improvement but gives a reasonable projection overall: 

Will likely need some time to get adjusted to the college game, but has the makeup of a trench player that will find success in a variety of different run-blocking schemes

That summary was largely mirrored by Touch The Banner's scouting report of Guarnera. Magnus gives us some of his positives: 

Active feet . . . Does a great job of driving feet through contact . . . Shows advanced hand fighting technique ... Likes to get dirty and aggressive in the trenches . . . Aggressive finisher who puts people on the ground 

The latter two notes there sound a lot like someone who Jim Harbaugh would want on his offensive line. "Aggrssive in the trenches"? "Puts people on the ground"? Seems like a fit! How about the negatives?: 

Sometimes gets overextended and off balance . . . Occasionally gets too high and narrow with his feet . . . Pass protection footwork at left tackle needs work . . . Sometimes too passive in pass pro

Again, similar to Irvin. Good news being run blocking, aggressiveness with his hands, and finishing assignments, with the bad news being pass pro. TTB also listed the positional switch from HS as a weakness, but that's pretty priced in already in my view. Learning will be required, but I trust the staff enough to feel good about that element of the profile. 

The FanSided site GBM Wolverine has their own free take on Guarnera, hitting on a number of the same points: 

He’s quick off the snap and very explosive when he transitions into a drive block ... Does a nice job unrolling his hips and running his legs through the block. Base is solid and consistent as well. Pass protection is where you can see why he’s a guard ... Athleticism looks good on film, and his footwork in protection and in run blocking is steady and reliable. Great on-field demeanor

You probably get the idea by now. 

OFFERS 

Guarnera was not the biggest priority recruit as a 3.5*, but he still garnered plenty of interest from powers in the southeast, as well as the B1G. He held offers from Florida, FSU, Miami, UCF, USF, Kentucky, Ole Miss, NC State, UNC, Wake Forest, UVA, Penn State, Michigan, MSU, Rutgers, Indiana, and Pitt, among other teams. Guarnera signaled an interest in leaving the region pretty early in the process and the two biggest names emerging in the recruitment were Michigan and Penn State. There were reports in PSU circles that Guarnera had offered his commitment to the Nittany Lions and the PSU coaches put him on hold because they weren't sure he was a take. Multiple ($) Michigan insiders ($) have shot that claim down and are denouncing it.

Regardless, Michigan was in on several IOL/C prospects during this cycle, including Waltclaire Flynn, Daniel Cruz, and Kyle Altuner, in addition to Guarnera. It seemed like they had a window with Flynn and Altuner, but a match developed much more quickly with Guarnera. Sherrone Moore and Jim Harbaugh liked Guarnera enough to deem him an instant take and push to seal the deal, which Guarnera was happy to do. 

HIGH SCHOOL 

Guarnera plays at Ponte Vedra HS in Ponte Vedra, FL. For those unfamiliar, Ponte Vedra (Beach) is a suburb of Jacksonville to the southeast, located in neighboring St. John's County. It's also north of St. Augustine and is most famous for hosting The Players Championship PGA golf tournament, held at the TPC at Sawgrass course. Ponte Vedra HS is a rather new school, opening in 2008 and boasting an enrollment a bit shy of 2,000 back in 2018-19. Their football team has been extremely mediocre over Guarnera's time with the team, 5-5 in 2020, 5-6 in 2021, 5-5 in 2022. About as middling as you can get!

As of this past season they were competing in Class 4S for Florida HS football, the top division among suburban high schools. Competitors include schools like Bartram Trail, Flagler Palm Coast, and Creekside, but Ponte Vedra was unable to qualify for the playoffs. This is not a big time program when it comes to producing college football talent, with Guarnera being the only player in the 2024 class in the top 200 players in the state of Florida from his HS. Which is a big reason why Guarnera has to play LT on his HS team. 

STATS 

Is OL, no stats. 

FAKE 40 TIME 

Guarnera claims a 5.37 40 time on his Hudl page. That seems... plausible? Athleticism is not necessarily the big calling card for Guarnera and that 40 time would have been one of the slowest run by an OL at the 2022 NFL Draft combine, despite the fact that Guarnera is lighter now than almost all of those OL. I'll give it a couple FAKEs on instinct because it's a non-verified claim by a player themselves with no third party confirmation, but it doesn't seem totally crazy. 

VIDEO 

Junior highlights: 

More available on his Hudl page.

ETC

Also a basketball player and a thrower in track and field events. His father Jim was a DL at Rutgers from 1991-1995 and made a training camp appearance for the Niners in 1996. Claims a 3.93 GPA, 23 ACT, and 1320 SAT on his Hudl page. 

 

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE 

Guarnera is a solid take all things considered. I like the size/length, a bonus for an IOL prospect, and the football pedigree through his father should help at a cerebral position like center (please don't bring up Patrick Kugler). Scouts remarking on Guarnera as being "well-coached" and "technically sound" is also what you like to hear. He'll need to continue to get bigger, but as a run-first mauler who is strong in the trenches in HS, it seems like a natural fit for Michigan. Overall, I generally defer to Sherrone Moore and Jim Harbaugh on this one, given what they have achieved on the offensive line over the last couple seasons.

Even dating back to the Ed Warinner days, excepting the 2020 (fake) season, Michigan has had one of the best OLs in the country for 3-4 years running now. Michigan clearly didn't view Guarnera as a back-up plan or something. They sought him out pretty early and was very happy to get his commitment 7.5 months before signing day. If they want a guy on the OL, I will trust that the evaluation is correct and in all likelihood, is more accurate than the recruiting scouting community's ranking. 

The predicted progression of Guarnera's is pretty standard for an OL given Michigan's embarrassment of riches on the depth chart. He will arrive on campus in the fall of 2024, redshirt, then likely spend years 2 and 3 continuing to bulk up while mixing in for garbage time reps. Eventually, by sometime from 2026-28, Guarnera should get his crack at being the starting center on the team. 

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Michigan is now up to five OL in the 2024 recruiting class, which has been filling up rapidly. The other commits besides Guarnera are Luke Hamilton, Ben Roebuck, Blake Frazier, and Andrew Sprague. Hamilton projects more to guard, Roebuck to T or G, Sprague to LT, and Frazier as either a RT or swingman type. Guarnera gives them a true C to complete the group, meaning that the possible 6th OL could be anyone at any position and the spot will be held open for an elite prospect. I highly doubt Michigan is taking a scrub as the 6th just for the hell of it. And of course, they have interest from plenty of elite options. 4* Max Anderson from Texas has long been a name in discussion, 4* Bennett Warren (also from Texas) is one rising up in conversation, while 4.5* Brandon Baker, the nation's top OT prospect (from California), is the pie in the sky option. It may not be until mid-summer that this final spot is filled because Michigan can afford to wait. 

THE CLASS AS IT STANDS

OFFENSE
Pos	Player	State	Stars	In a nutshell
QB	Jadyn Davis	NC	4.7⬇	Smooth, accurate field general
RB	Jordan Marshall	OH	4.4⬆	Accelerates South-North
TE	Brady Prieskorn	MI	4.5⬆	Colston Loveland Midwest
TE	Hogan Hansen	WA	4.1	Colston Loveland West
LT	Andrew Sprague	MO	4.3⬆⬆	Basketballin' grow-a-Long
RT	Blake Frazier	TX	4.1⬆	Athletic son of Steve
RG	Luke Hamilton	OH	4.0	Midwestern mauler
LG	Ben Roebuck	OH	3.9⬇⬇	Bigger Midwestern mauler
C	Jake Guarnera	FL	3.8	Mauler but C
DEFENSE
Pos	Player	State	Stars	In a nutshell
DT	Ted Hammond	OH	4.0⬆	Cincy build-a-bear
DT	Manuel Beigel	CT	3.6⬇	Lengthy German via Choate
SDE	Jerod Smith	CT	3.9⬇⬇	Low-pads, high-motor big twin
MLB	Mason Curtis	TN	4.2⬆	Long athlete moving up
S	Jacob Oden	MI	4.2	Tall son of coach