Wolverine TV: Breaking down the five highest ranked official visitors for Victors Weekend

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland breaks down the five highest ranked recruits slated to make official visits for Victors Weekend, including Top 100 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng.

Watch the full video above.

Owusu-Boateng Recruitment

Michigan extended an offer to Owusu-Boateng as an underclassman when he was still enrolled at Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha.

Owusu-Boateng transferred to IMG Academy for his junior season and had a fantastic year, establishing himself as one of the top linebackers in the country. Michigan wasn’t too involved with Owusu-Boateng until the arrival of new linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary.

Jean-Mary recruited Owusu-Boateng during his time at Tennessee and immediately made him a priority after taking the Michigan job. Owusu-Boateng rewarded Jean-Mary by making an unofficial visit to U-M in the spring.

Owusu-Boateng is now set to be back in Ann Arbor for an official visit this weekend. Here is what Holland had to say about his recruitment.

“He’s one of the best linebackers in the country,” Holland said. “He’s a really athletic linebacker with sideline-to-sideline speed and is physical enough lay the wood. I think he would be a great fit as a WILL. Now, Michigan is in the picture here for sure. Notre Dame has the lead on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. His brother played there, so that’s definitely a tie and a boost for the Irish. But he is considering a handful of other schools — Michigan, Ohio State, USC and a little bit of Florida. I think Michigan has some work to do, but he has established some good relationships with Brian Jean-Mary, who recruited him at Tennessee, and Wink Martindale, who really impressed him during his spring visit.”

At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Owusu-Boateng is ranked as the No. 5 linebacker and No. 74 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He is also ranked as the No. 10 overall prospect in the state of Florida this cycle.

Michigan has eight commits in its 2025 recruiting class — Top 100 Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga defensive back Kainoa Winston, Top 100 Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick defensive lineman Nate Marshall, On300 Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot quarterback Carter Smith, four-star Palatine (Ill.) High EDGE Jaylen Williams, four-star Birmingham (Mich.) Groves offensive lineman Avery Gach, four-star Howell (Mich.) High defensive lineman Bobby Kanka, three-star New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw running back Jasper Parker and three-star Alcoa (Tenn.) High tight end Eli Owens.

The class entered the day ranked No. 15 nationally and No. 5 in the Big Ten, per the On3 Industry national team recruiting rankings. The Wolverines currently sit behind Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Penn State.