2024 Season Countdown: #102 Jake Guarnera

 

Jake Guarnera (image via 247 Sports)

Name: Jake Guarnera
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 308 lbs.
High school: Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra
Position: Center
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #53
Last year: Guarnera was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 80

Guarnera was a somewhat anonymous recruit when he committed to the Wolverines. His father Jim played defensive line at Rutgers, but Jake wasn't getting a ton of recruiting attention. He committed to Michigan in April of 2023 with the belief that he was headed for center after playing offensive tackle, and his high school coaching staff transitioned him to center to help him get a jump start on his college career. I think that was a positive thing for Guarnera to get used to snapping the ball, as he now has almost a full season of playing in the middle (he still played some occasional tackle as a senior when the team needed him there).

Guarnera enrolled early and is up to 308 pounds, which is 20+ pounds heavier than he was as a recruit. There are still a lot of things to work on as a center, such as speeding up his initial step and being quicker with his off (non-snapping) hand. I like the way he gets all his cleats in the ground to make contact, but the initial movements are just a hare slow right now. I'm guessing those traits will get markedly improved as he gets more and more practice playing the center position. But for the 2024 season, Michigan has Greg Crippen slated to be the starter and Raheem Anderson II penciled in as his primary backup. Guarnera may get a few snaps in four games to get him some experience while preserving his redshirt, but he's probably headed for a season of watching from the sideline.

Prediction: Redshirt