Wolverine TV: Game clips of Michigan TE commit Eli Owens

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland was in Tennessee over the weekend and saw three-star Alcoa (Tenn.) High tight end and 2025 Michigan commit Eli Owens in game action. Owens recorded seven receptions for 111 yards and added 12 tackles on the defensive side of the ball.

Watch full game highlights in the video above.

Owens Recruitment

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

Owens has visited Michigan on numerous occasions over the last year. His most recent trip came for the annual BBQ at The Big House in late July, where he helped the Wolverines recruit top targets.

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 is bonding 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 completely solid to U-M and is looking to make it back to Ann Arbor for the game against Texas next month.

At 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, Owens is ranked as the No. 30 tight end and No. 501 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Owens is also ranked as the No. 16 overall recruit in the state of Tennessee for next cycle.

Michigan has 17 commits in its 2025 recruiting class — Top 100 Katy (Texas) Jordan wide receiver Andrew Marsh, Top 100 Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh tight end Andrew Olesh, Top 100 Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange safety Ivan Taylor, 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, On300 Alpharetta (Ga.) High EDGE Julius Holly, On300 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy running back Donovan Johnson, On300 Kilgore (Texas) High cornerback Jayden Sanders, four-star New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw wide receiver Jacob Washington, 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, three-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn, three-star Stockbridge (Ga.) High linebacker Chase Taylor and three-star Alcoa (Tenn.) High tight end Eli Owens.

The class entered the day ranked No. 15 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.