Top 2025 LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng Talks Notre Dame & More

OCEAN CITY, N.J. - At the beginning of the summer, Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng‍ seemed pretty set on four schools and even flirted with the idea of bringing the recruiting process to a close prior to the start of his senior season at IMG Academy.

Instead, the elite 2025 linebacker prospect ended up adding schools like Florida and Texas to his list for consideration. 

He was in Gainesville for the Gators’ game against Miami on Saturday and has talked about returning for an official later. Owusu-Boateng already has an official locked in to Texas for Oct. 19th, when the Longhorns host Georgia.

“Just knowing that I want to take time with the process and then knowing that I'm only going to go through this one time so I can't make any mistakes,” Owusu-Boateng said following his team’s win over Bergen Catholic here on Thursday.

“Just taking my time through everything, taking my time through my OVs, just talking to family and just seeing what it's going to be at the end.”

But that doesn’t mean the quartet of schools that were atop his list have faded. 

“Besides that, it's still the same; Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State, Michigan,” he said. 

He took official visits to each back in June, but is eyeing returns for games this fall, including a potential trip back to South Bend in November, when the Irish host Florida State. 

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, defensive coordinator Al Golden and linebackers coach Max Bullough are leading the charge for the Irish. 

“Coach Freeman, obviously playing linebacker at Ohio State, and then you got Coach Bullough and then you've got Coach Golden,” he said. “All three of them played linebacker, so why not go to Notre Dame and play for all linebacker coaches big time?

The Irish have another key individual in their corner as well, Owusu-Boateng’s brother and former Irish star, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. 

“Just that it's a great program,” Owusu-Boateng said of what his brother tells him about Notre Dame.

“Obviously he was the Butkus Award winner there, so obviously he knows what it can do for you. Just him telling me to trust the process and that if I go there, it's going to be the best three to four years of my life.”

Owusu-Boateng isn’t going to rush a decision, saying it could come in November or December.  

He pointed to academics as a chief factor in his choice.

“Not only academics, but a school that's going to develop me not only on the football field but off the football field as well,” he continued. “Those are my really big things and not only that, but just knowing that I can play for a coach that trusts me and a coach that knows my abilities and can output them on the football field so that everybody can see.”

Even though he sat out with an injury, Owusu-Boateng was proud of the way IMG fought in the second half to earn a 27-14 win over Bergen Catholic after being tied 7-7 at the half.

“How the guys battled that today, that's the type of team that I'm trying to go to; a team that loves football, a team that would die for the brotherhood.”

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