Michael Jurgens Signs With Wake Forest

Note: Much of this article was prepared earlier this year by the wonderful Ned Harwood, hence the co-byline. I’ve made some edits, and will add some thoughts at the very end, noted by the italics and under the banner “SF’s Thoughts”.

The Wake Forest Football Team continues to build and get better.

The Demon Deacon staff picked up a letter of intentfrom 3* Offensive Lineman Michael Jurgens out of Damascus, Maryland. Less than a day after leaving Winston-Salem earlier this year, Jurgens was ready to pull the trigger and become the 8th member of the 2018 Wake Forest recruiting class.

Jurgens is a two-star athlete for Damascus High, excelling on the lacrosse field as well as the gridiron. His commitment continues the trend of the staff going after dual-sport athletes, particularly on the offensive line, who they can develop quickly once they reach campus. For example, 2017 OL commit Loic Nya was a football/lacrosse star from Springbrook (MD) last year that the staff was extremely excited about on National Signing Day. At 6’4, 280 and quick, Jurgens fits the mold for the type of prospect Nick Tabacca is looking for perfectly.

As for his recruitment, Jurgens’ offer list was growing and growing fast in recent weeks along the east coast. He landed a scholarship from Louisville on April 26, Rutgers on May 1, Syracuse on May 16, and ECU on May 23. He also held offers from Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Penn, Yale, and all three service academies (Navy, Army, and Air Force). Academics were always going to be a huge part of his decision, and he felt right at home after hearing about the educational opportunities at Wake Forest earlier this week.

Jurgens is currently ranked by Rivals as a 3* and holds a 5.5 rating. He is the 6th member of the 2018 class to have at least a 5.5 in their system, and bumps the Deacs up to a tie for 39th in the Rivals 2018 Team Rankings. Notable schools currently in the 35-45 range in the rankings are Louisville, UNC, Ole Miss, Michigan State, South Carolina and Pitt.

Please join me in welcoming Michael and his family to Wake Forest! Go Deacs!

SF’s Thoughts: That’s one hell of an offer list. Getting a lineman like that to come our way is definitely a huge get, and if OL and DL can continue to be a point of strength for the program, we’re going to continue to be really good. OL issues were probably the biggest issues with Clawson’s early tenure here.