Signee Spotlight: Michigan TE signee Eli Owens talks fit, Max Bredeson comparisons, more

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland sat down with three-star Michigan TE signee Eli Owens to get his thoughts on signing with the Wolverines and more.

Watch the full video at the end of this story.

Owens Recruitment

Owens picked Michigan over offers from Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and others in January.

Owens visited Michigan on numerous occasions over the last year, including twice this fall.

Michigan assistant coach Grant Newsome led the way in this recruitment and ultimately won Owens over. Newsome has since transitioned to coaching the offensive line, but new position coach Steve Casula bonded well with the Alcoa (Tenn.) High prospect.

Here is what Holland had to say about Owens as a player:

“Eli has drawn comparisons to Max Bredeson, which is pretty obvious given his clips as a blocker,” Holland said. “You can line up in the slot, in the in-line and as a fullback, and he’ll be an extremely physical blocker. However, he certainly offers more as a pass catcher. Owens is deceptively athletic and is a natural pass catcher that can run routes. He can be a very valuable piece for Michigan at the next level.”

Owens is set to enroll early.

At 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, Owens is ranked as the No. 33 tight end and No. 600 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Owens is also ranked as the No. 21 overall recruit in the state of Tennessee for next cycle.

Michigan has 23 commits in its 2025 recruiting class — five-star Belleville (Mich.) High quarterback Bryce Underwood, five-star Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, Top 100 Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick EDGE Nate Marshall, Top 100 Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale cornerback Shamari Earls, Top 100 Monroe (N.C.) High safety Jordan Young, Top 100 Katy (Texas) Jordan wide receiver Andrew Marsh, Top 100 Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh tight end Andrew Olesh, On300 Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga defensive back Kainoa Winston, On300 Alpharetta (Ga.) High EDGE Julius Holly, On300 Kilgore (Texas) High cornerback Jayden Sanders, On300 New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw wide receiver Jacob Washington, On300 Newburgh (Ind.) Castle defensive lineman Benny Patterson, On300 New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw running back Jasper Parker, four-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, four-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy running back Donovan Johnson, four-star Birmingham (Mich.) Groves offensive lineman Avery Gach, three-star Howell (Mich.) High defensive lineman Bobby Kanka, three-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn, three-star Stockbridge (Ga.) High linebacker Chase Taylor, three-star Lake Worth (Fla.) Santaluces wide receiver Jamar Browder, three-star Louisville (Ky.) Fern Creek defensive lineman Travis Moten and three-star Alcoa (Tenn.) High tight end Eli Owens.

The class is ranked No. 6 nationally and No. 3 in the Big Ten, per the On3 Industry national team recruiting rankings. The Wolverines currently sit behind Ohio State and Oregon.