Key 2025 offensive weapon Michigan commit blasts rival Ohio State for recruiting strategy

The Game occurs every November, but the rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State is ongoing. Michigan earned the commitment of 2025 tight end Eli Owens earlier this year, and the offensive weapon revealed the differences between the recruiting strategies of both programs.

The 6-foot-2, 243-pounder from Tennessee is a 3-star recruit with offers from 18 programs. Don't let the star rating define Owens, who Ohio State, Alabama, and Tennessee were chasing. He plays for a program that has one nine straight state titles, so winning is in Owens' blood.

Recently, Owens revealed a major difference in what appealed to him between the Wolverines and Buckeyes.

“When I was at Ohio State, they never talked to me about what would happen if football didn’t work out… At Michigan, that was like the first meeting.”

Owens made it clear he wasn't throwing shade at Ohio State with his comment and was merely pointing out a difference. This is a bit of a surprising admission, considering the Buckeyes have made clear attempts to appeal to outside football interests for guys like David Sanders and their current roster.

“I think it's huge because you never know where life is going to lead you,” OSU defensive end Jack Sawyer told ABC6 News. “Obviously, the goal for most of our team is to play in the NFL play, but as Coach Day always preaches to us, the NFL comes to an end at some point. So, we got to find something else to do with our time when we’re done playing.”

This isn't to say that Owens is in any way lying. Ohio State clearly dropped the ball in knowing what mattered to Owens, while the Wolverines correctly identified the holistic, whole-person approach that many student-athletes realize is important.

More of a pass-catcher who fits as an h-back type than a pure tight end who will block in the run game, Owens' path to the NFL is even less likely than most. The league doesn't highly value these versatile playmakers like traditionally-sized options who don't need special game planning.

However, the college ranks are different. Florida State's Jaheim Bell was a monstrous star in 2023, and Owens figures to be used in a similar manner.

Here's what hs 7v7 team's head coach had to say about Owens :

Eli is a really great kid and a hard worker. He’s a really sophisticated route runner. He has really good hands and long arms, so he has a really good catch radius. He has great athletic ability. But where he’s unique these days is that he’s a very willing blocker and is very physical. He can block in space with his athletic ability, and he can block in the box