Bull In The Spotlight: Jaren Mangham
By Joey Johnston
If you're searching for a big running back, a guy who can find the end zone, USF junior Jaren Mangham looks the part. He's 6-foot-2, 221 pounds. In three games, he already has five rushing touchdowns. He ranks ninth nationally and, though it is early, he is on pace to break USF's single-season record (18, Quinton Flowers, 2016).
But to hear Mangham tell it, he's just on simmer.
"I don't think I'm just a big back, a goal-line guy,'' said Mangham, a transfer from Colorado. "I feel like I'm an all-around good back.''
He has power. He has speed and shifty moves. He can block. He can catch passes.
"He's a guy we can trust and count on,'' Bulls coach Jeff Scott said. "Sometimes, you see bigger backs like that and they're just downhill (runners). They run right into your offensive linemen.
"What I've been really pleased with, he shows some patience and he has some vision. He lets the hole open, then he knows when to hit it.''
Versatile? Absolutely. On and off the field.
Mangham likes all kinds of music. He can dance. He has dreams of traveling the world, exploring new cultures and meeting new people. And he can cook. Oh, can he cook.
"I'm not talking about some basic grilling, he can do the real stuff,'' said Mangham's father, Jesse. "He can entertain and lay out an impressive spread. His stuff is delicious.''
Mangham's culinary inspiration was his late maternal grandmother, known for legendary hospitality in her native Louisiana. She showed Mangham around the kitchen, constantly passing along recipes and how-to videos.
Mangham, who turns 22 on Monday, said his specialties are Cajun pasta, gumbo, creole, catfish and a variety of chicken dishes.
"You name it, he can make it,'' Mangham's father said.
"It's relaxing and fun,'' Mangham said. "You've got to do it just right. It's all in the details.''
Sort of like football, where attention to detail is important.
Mangham, who played at football powerhouse Detroit Cass Tech, thought his football future was at Colorado, where he was named to the Freshman All-Pac 12 team in 2019. He rushed for 441 yards and three touchdowns, but things went south when Coach Mel Tucker left the Buffaloes to take over at Michigan State. After the 2020 season, when his role significantly decreased, Mangham entered the transfer portal.
"USF was the first school to contact him,'' Mangham's father said. "If Jaren put his name in at 12 o'clock, USF probably called him at 12:02. That was the beginning of a really good job by them and the establishment of a really solid relationship.''
How does a Detroit kid get to USF (via Colorado)? As it turned out, there were connections. USF special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato was on the Colorado staff when Mangham originally signed. Mangham also remembers Scott and Bulls' running backs coach Cam Aiken from a football camp at Clemson.
"USF did a great job recruiting me,'' Mangham said. "They said they really needed a back like me. I'm a three-down back. I can make you miss, but I can also run through you. They respected me and I really respected their vision. It was a program I really wanted to be a part of.''
Mangham had worn No. 1 at his previous stops, but that number was not available at USF. He chose No. 0. Sometimes at practice, USF coaches refer to him as "zero,'' and that makes him smile. It's a unique identity, something Mangham has always embraced.
"I feel like I know how to play this game and it shows on the field,'' Mangham said. "A lot of the credit goes to my father. He showed us the way. He let us know what was important.''
Mangham's father, Jesse Mangham III, is a distribution center manager for firm that delivers tires to national discount outlets. But he was a football star.
At Bowling Green State University, he was selected a Mid-American Conference first-team middle linebacker when the Falcons went 21-3 over two seasons (1991-92) and won two MAC Championships. BGSU lost only to Ohio State, Wisconsin and West Virginia during that span.
He has helped three sons reach college football, including Jaden, a free safety/wide receiver who recently committed to Michigan State. His daughter is a college freshman who wants to become an orthopedic surgeon.
"We tried to develop a football IQ in all of them,'' Mangham's father said. "I know Jaren prides himself on being a team player. I always told all of them that football is a unique game. It takes all 11 players to make it work. There's always a place for a smart player. Jaren is the kind of guy who's going to work hard and do whatever he can for the team.''
It's a football family, but the big-time athletic genes go back to his grandfather (Jesse Mangham Jr.), who was Ferris State University's all-time leading scorer in basketball and a ninth-round draft pick of the NBA's Detroit Pistons.
"In our family, sports are pretty big,'' Mangham said. "Football has helped to take us places.''
Mangham said he likes USF's offensive scheme and enjoys his teammates in the running-back room, including Darrian Felix, Brian Battie and Kelley Joiner. Mangham was the starter in last Saturday's 38-17 victory against Florida A&M, when he became the first player to rush for three touchdowns in a game since 2018.
"I think it's all going good so far,'' Mangham said. "But the biggest key is we want to win. We want to do whatever we can to make that happen. You've got to control what you can control and keep getting better and better.''
With each week, Mangham has shown signs of constant improvement. He's finding his rhythm. Some might even say he's really cooking.
