Wolverine Digest

Michigan Making Early Inroads With 2028 IMG Quarterback Jayden Wade

With more playing time on the horizon this season, 2028 QB Jayden Wade is expected to have a big year at IMG Academy and Michigan recently offered the talented passer.

Eric Rutter

Jayden Wade
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During the 2023 season, Michigan experienced more success than it had in the previous 20 years thanks to one JJ McCarthy, who trained and studied at IMG Academy before continuing his football career in Ann Arbor. Now, the Wolverines are attempting to run it back with 2028 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy quarterback Jayden Wade, who picked up an offer from U-M two weeks ago. 

McCarthy made waves across the college football world for a multitude of reasons, but the true test of a player’s impact is whether their play can resonate with a younger generation of athletes. Now, Wade is only a few years McCarthy’s junior, but the 6-4, 190-pound passer certainly took note of how his predecessor flourished as a Wolverine. 

“I was excited to get the Michigan offer, just seeing the success of their team and how a QB from my school went first round from there was big,” Wade told Wolverine Digest. 

Currently, McCarthy is tabbed to be the quarterback of the future for the Minnesota Vikings, and that result is one that certainly intrigues the newest Michigan quarterback target. However, that is not the only facet of potentially wearing the winged helmet that Wade is a fan of. 

“The biggest things I like about Michigan is their tradition and how they develop their QBs,” Wade said. 

At the moment, Wade, who holds offers from 11 Division I programs with the likes of Georgia, Oregon and Washington among the schools to extend a scholarship already. Now, Wade is planning to visit Ann Arbor “this summer”  for an up close and personal review of the Michigan program. 

To date, Wade is the only 2028 quarterback to receive an offer from the Wolverines (Michigan has two 2028 offers out, the other going to Harper Woods (Mich.) wide receiver Deandre Bidden), so the U-M staff has identified Wade as a top-tier talent quite early in the process. 

Last year, Wade earned playing time for IMG as a freshman, which is no easy feat for a young player to accomplish on the perennial National Champion contenders. Wade went 14-for-20 as a passer, racking up 199 yards and one touchdown in the process, and although he’s still raw as a prospect, the talent is clearly there. Wade also averaged over five yards per carry as a rusher according to 247Sports.com writer Jared Mack. 

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This year, Wade’s role at IMG is expected to grow in substantial fashion as two Ascender QBs moved onto the collegiate ranks, so it is important for Michigan to establish a relationship early on with a prospect who is tabbed by many to blow up this season.

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Eric Rutter
ERIC RUTTER

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