The Michigan football team featured a number of talented freshmen in 2025, and the hope is the class can take a big jump together as sophomores in 2026 with a full offseason together with the new coaching staff.
Quarterback Bryce Underwood has all of the eyes on him at the moment, finishing his freshman campaign with a 60.3 completion percentage, 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and six more scores on the ground. Wide receiver Andrew Marsh sits right next to him in the spotlight, leading
the Wolverines in receptions (45), receiving yards (651) and receiving touchdowns (four) in 2025.
However, when CBS Sports highlighted potential “sophomore standouts that will define the 2026 playoff race,” neither Underwood nor Marsh appeared on the list. Instead, the Wolverine to make headlines was linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, who came in at No. 15 on CBS Sports college football writer Brad Crawford’s list.
“One of six expected new starters defensively for the Wolverines, Owusu-Boateng co-anchors the linebacking core with Nathan Staehling, a transfer from North Dakota State,” Crawford wrote. “A former four-star recruit, Owusu-Boateng is the younger brother of NFL linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and shares similar athletic traits, including speed in space. Owusu-Boateng moves like a safety and will be a coveted piece for Kyle Whittingham and Michigan’s defensive staff in blitzing and pass-rush situations.”
At 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds, Owusu-Boateng played in seven total games, with five of those at linebacker last season. He made four tackles.
Nonetheless, Owusu-Boateng was the No. 130 overall player nationally coming out of high school, where he totaled 45 tackles (six for loss), a pass breakup, a fumble recovery and a sack in eight games as a junior for IMG Academy. While an injury prevented him from playing in his senior year, Michigan was still very high on him, expecting him to take the reins as a starting linebacker for the program. Now, that time has come.
The Wolverines’ linebacker room is filled with young, undetermined talent following the conclusion of last season when starting linebackers Jimmy Rolder, Ernest Hausmann and Cole Sullivan all left the program for various reasons. Jaishawn Barham, who started at linebacker before shifting to the edge, also left.
Because of the turnaround, the Wolverines are expecting Owusu-Boateng to step into a starting role despite not playing much last year. He will likely receive some help from Troy Bowles, Chase Taylor, North Dakota State transfer Nathan Staehling, BYU transfer Max Alford, and Michigan State transfer Aisea Moa.
However, all eyes will be on Owusu-Boateng to take his game up a level. He has the size and speed, and he should now have the in-game reps to grow into the role, giving the Wolverines stability at the position.
