Wolverine Digest

Michigan beats Tennessee, Alabama for three-star tight end Eli Owens

The Wolverines went into SEC country to land one of their first commitments in the 2025 recruiting class...

Matt Lounsberry

Three-star 2025 tight end Eli Owens poses during a photo shoot while on a recruiting visit with Michigan football in Ann Arbor
Three-star 2025 tight end Eli Owens poses during a photo shoot while on a recruiting visit with Michigan football in Ann Arbor /
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Anytime you can pull a high school prospect out of an SEC state when that kid has an offer from the in-state school, it's an impressive feat.

That's exactly what Michigan football did early this year with three-star Alcoa (Tenn.) tight end Eli Owens, who committed to the Wolverines way back on Jan. 4 among a 'Top Nine' which also included Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Cincinnati and South Florida. Owens was the third high school prospect to commit to Michigan in the 2025 recruiting class.

At 6-foot-2 and 243 pounds, Owens is considered the No. 451 overall prospect, No. 23 tight end and No. 15 player from the state of Tennessee in this current cycle, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. He was primarily recruited to Michigan by assistant coach Grant Newsome, who served as the Wolverines' tight end coach for the past two seasons but has since been moved to offensive line by head coach Sherrone Moore. This offseason, Moore hired Massachusetts offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Steve Casula to coach the U-M's tight end room in 2024.

Casula added to Michigan's tight end haul in the 2025 recruiting class by landing a commitment from high four-star Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh standout Andrew Olesh, who gave his pledge to the Wolverines on July 8. It's unlikely that U-M will add another tight end in this recruiting cycle, but the coaching staff must be thrilled to have both Owens and Olesh in the fold.

Currently, Michigan has 16 high school prospects committed to their 2025 recruiting class, which ranked No. 12 in the country and No. 3 in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State and Oregon. The Wolverines' average player rating of 91.63 is the eight-best mark in the nation.

Michigan Football Verbal Commits, Class of 2025

  • Four-star DL Nathaniel Marshall; Fenwick High School; Oak Park, Ill.; No 46 nationally, No. 6 Defensive Lineman, No. 2 in state of Illinois
  • Four-star CB Ivan Taylor; West Orange High School; Winter Garden, Fla.; No. 54 nationally, No. 6 cornerback; No. 9 in state of Florida
  • Four-star S Kainoa Winston; Gonzaga College High School; Washington, D.C.; No. 91 nationally, No. 10 Safety, No. 1 in Washington D.C.
  • Four-star TE Andrew Olesh; Southern Lehigh High School; Center Valley, Pa.; No. 94 nationally, No. 4 Tight End; No. 3 in state of Pennsylvania 
  • Four-star QB Carter Smith; Bishop Verot High School; Fort Myers, Fla.; No. 160 nationally, No. 13 Quarterback, No. 24 in state of Florida
  • Four-star DL Jaylen Williams; Palatine High School; Palatine, Ill.; No. 223 nationally, No. 26 Defensive Lineman, No. 6 in state of Illinois
  • Four-star OT Avery Gach; Wylie E. Groves High School; Franklin, Mich.; No. 252 nationally, No. 13 Offensive Tackle, No. 2 in state of Michigan
  • Four-star WR Jacob Washington; Archbishop Shaw High School; Marrero, La.; No. 262 nationally, No. 36 Wide Receiver, No. 8 in state of Louisiana
  • Four-star EDGE Julius Holly; Alpharetta High School; Alpharetta, Ga.; No. 300 nationally, No. 24 Edge Rusher, No. 39 in state of Georgia
  • Four-star RB Donovan Johnson; IMG Academy; Bradenton, Fla.; No. 320 nationally, No. 24 Running Back, No. 44 in state of Florida
  • Four-star RB Jasper Parker; Archbishop Shaw High School; Marrero, La.; No. 328 nationally, No. 25 Running Back, No. 9 in state of Louisiana
  • Four-star DL Bobby Kanka; Howell High School; Howell, Mich.; No. 420 nationally, No. 46 Defensive Lineman, No. 5 in state of Michigan
  • Three-star WR Phillip Wright; Destrehan High School; Destrehan, La.; No. 428 nationally, No. 67 Wide Receiver, No. 12 in state of Louisiana
  • Three-star TE Eli Owens; Alcoa High School; Alcoa, Tenn.; No. 451 nationally, No. 23 Tight End, No. 15 in state of Tennessee
  • Three-star IOL Kaden Strayhorn; IMG Academy; Bradenton, Fla.; No. 452 nationally, No. 26 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 61 in state of Florida
  • Three-star LB Chase Taylor; Stockbridge High School; Stockbridge, Ga.; No. 649 nationally, No. 69 Linebacker, No. 71 in state of Georgia

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Matt Lounsberry
MATT LOUNSBERRY

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