Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng Profiles As Athletic Freak

South Carolina outside linebacker target Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng is only a high school sophomore, yet has the traits to become a special player at the next level.

Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah lit draft circles on fire when he came out of Notre Dame. Many thought he could play outside linebacker and safety, but he ultimately became an outside linebacker at the professional level.

His younger brother is drawing similar headlines fourteen months into his high school career. Outside linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng is one of the best young defenders in the country, an athletic marvel that has college coaches jumping at the bit.

South Carolina hosted him in early September and offered shortly after. Defensive coordinator Clayton White envisions him flying around the front seven as an overhang defender, and he may transform their capabilities.

Athletic Marvel

Every player recruited to the Power-5 level is a special athlete in the top one percent of humans. However, some stand out amongst that one percent, making you laugh at their capabilities.

Owusu-Boateng is a 6-2, 205 lbs. fifteen-year-old with years of weight room experience. He carries substantial muscle but can move from gap to gap exceptionally well.

What separates him isn't his physical profile but his athletic traits. Owusu-Boateng can run like a defensive back; he flips his hips well in pass coverage and gets to his top speed in a hurry.

World-Class Coaching

Death Catholic High School has produced some of the best professional talents in recent memory. Chase Young, Markelle Fultz, Nick Cross, and Victor Oladipo are just some of the notable alumni they have produced.

They play in one of the most competitive conferences in Maryland and have the necessary coaching to compete. Owusu-Boateng has mastered some outside linebacker intricacies already; shuffling his feet, reading keys, and remaining patient.

Things are still a work in progress, but he flashes the ability to get his eyes backside, maintain pad level on pulling guards, and attack at the right moment. Owusu-Boateng clearly understands how to read offensive concepts, a rarity for high school sophomores.

Rough Brand of Physicality

The one common critique of Owusu-Koramoah out of Notre Dame was his physicality in the run game. He has improved that with Cleveland, but it took years to overcome.

Owusu-Boateng already knows how to use his body to his advantage. He comes downhill with bad intentions, but attacking smaller backs is easy. The impressive thing about his game is that he brings the same intensity and power against offensive linemen.

Dematha occasionally played him as a stand-up edge rusher. While Owusu-Boateng could have won with speed rushes, he chose to win in translatable ways by developing a plan pre-snap. He leaned into offensive tackles, creating leverage but taking contact simultaneously.

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