Michigan
Four-star LB not rushing decision, and that may be a good thing for Michigan
We’ve hit the middle of the summer, a key time in the recruiting calendar for the Michigan Wolverines. In this edition of the Recruiting Roundup, we’ll discuss a four-star linebacker Michigan has been heavily pursuing, and two 2026 prospects planning to be on campus soon.
Four-star LB taking his time, and it may be a good thing for U-M
Four-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng has been a top priority for the Wolverines’ 2025 pursuits in recent months. He went on his official visit last month and he also visited back in May.
Owusu-Boateng has also been on other official visits to Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC, and Florida is hoping to get him on campus soon. In a recent interview with On3’s Chad Simmons ($), he touched on what his priorities are in finding the right school.
“My top three things are education, life after football and relationships,” Owusu-Boateng said. “It is a tight race with my top schools and I could go to any of the five schools on my list. The fall will be important to me.”
Owusu-Boateng, ranked 72nd overall in his class on the 247Sports composite, mentioned Michigan’s recent success is a reason why he could see himself thriving in Ann Arbor.
“My connections are real with each school,” he said. “At Michigan, I love how the players compete and lead. They have that chip on their coaches are great. They are on top and will look to continue to win championships.”
Owusu-Boateng also mentioned he is a man of his word and that when he commits, his recruitment is shut down. But he’s not rushing the big decision.
“My plan was to always take my time and not rush anything, so I will continue to talk to these schools and figure out where is best for me,” the linebacker said. “This is not a short-term decision, it is a long-term decision, so I will take all the time I need.”
This could be a good thing for the Wolverines. He’s a Notre Dame legacy prospect, so most experts thought if he committed somewhere soon, it would be to the Irish. The longer this plays out, the better for the Wolverines.
Top-200 RB wants to visit Michigan this fall, possibly with
Michigan has been a premiere destination for running backs in recent years, and with new running backs coach Tony Alford in place, a few 2025 backs — four-stars Jasper Parker and Donovan Johnson — have committed already.
Michigan is still looking to land their first 2026 running back, and that could very well be four-star Javian Mallory, a Boca Raton, Florida native ranked 176th in his class and 13th among running backs. Mallory initially was going to visit for the BBQ at the Big House, but now appears to be planning a gameday visit.
“My family and I spoke to coach Alford (recently) and just decided to come up for some games this year because it was going to be a lot to get up there (in July),” Mallory told The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich ($). “(I’m looking to make) either the Texas, USC or Oregon game. Coach Alford and I talk pretty often. Last time we talked about coming up for a game was Sunday.”
As was the case with Parker and Johnson, Alford’s relationship with Mallory plays a key role in this recruitment, but another important relationship is with 2026 four-star quarterback commit Brady Hart. The two have formed a bond, especially ever since Hart committed to Michigan last month.
“Attending a Michigan game together is a possibility definitely,” Mallory said.
In-state tight end planning to visit for BBQ at the Big House
A ton of players will be in Ann Arbor for the BBQ at the Big House later this month, which has been Michigan’s biggest recruiting event of the summer for quite some time now. One player who is expected to be there is 2026 three-star tight end Lincoln Keyes, as reported by 247Sports’ Steve Lorenz ($).
Keyes, ranked just outside the top-400 in his class on the composite, has picked up offers recently from Alabama, Oregon, Georgia, Michigan State and Ohio State, among others. Oddly enough, the Saline native has not yet picked up an offer from Michigan. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him walk away from the BBQ with an offer, so perhaps Grant Newsome and company can catch up to where some of the other programs are at later this month.
Quick Hitters
- Jordan Young, a 2025 top-100 four-star safety who recently took his official visit to Michigan, included the Wolverines in his top-four, along with Clemson, Florida State and NC State. There are three Crystal Ball predictions in favor of Clemson.
- Five-star interior offensive lineman Lamar Brown, who is ranked fifth in the 2026 class, included Michigan in his top-12.
Billikens coach Josh Schertz called the Wolverines the best team in the country.
Michigan’s Morez Johnson Jr. on 101-80 win over Howard in NCAA opener
Morez Johnson Jr. scored 21 points with 10 rebounds in 101-80 victory over Howard in Buffalo.
Buffalo, N.Y. — It’s no secret that stretch bigs have given Michigan problems this season.
And it’s no secret that Saint Louis runs a five-out offense with one of the premier shooting big men in the country in Robbie Avila, who sports goggles and has an endless supply of color nicknames.
When push comes to shove in Saturday’s NCAA Tournament second-round matchup at KeyBank Center, the battle between the centers could be at the center of determining who secures a spot in the Sweet 16.
“We’ve learned that against pick-and-pop bigs, if you allow a direct pass, they’re going to shoot about 25% to 30% better. If they make one or two, you need to be prepared to go to your contingency plans quicker than usual,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “We’ve played this defensive philosophy for several years, so we know what can beat it on a given night. We know what the holes in the defense are. But it’s just like everything else, there’s a give and take.
“We’ve got to be OK giving up what we’re going to give up. And if we feel like that’s not going to put us in a position to win, we’ve got to be adaptable enough to pivot and change it on the fly. But that’s kind of where each game is a little bit different. You take all this information and try to predict what’s going to happen, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”
The 6-foot-10 Avila — who has monikers like “Cream Abdul-Jabbar,” “Larry Nerd” and “Milk Chamberlain” — has been a long-range threat throughout his college career, from his time at Indiana State to his two seasons at Saint Louis.
But he’s as dangerous as ever as a trailer and pick-and-pop option, knocking down a career-best 63 3-pointers at a career-high 41.7% clip. That, according to May, has added “a whole other element” to his game and certainly has Michigan’s attention.
It also creates defensive predicament for the Wolverines, with big man Aday Mara, the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year and top shot blocker, possibly being pulled away from the rim at times against a Saint Louis team that was cutting and getting to the rim at will in its 102-77 obliteration of Georgia in the first round.
“I think I can guard outside, too,” Mara said. “It’s going to be a tough matchup, because how talented he is, he can do everything. I just got to be ready for everything.
“I like the way he plays, because he reminds me a little bit of me. I think we have similar style of game. I like to see another big being able to create and pass the ball. It’s fun to watch him.”
Maybe not as fun to defend him, though. Forward Morez Johnson Jr. has experience with that, crossing paths with Avila as the two grew up in the same area in Illinois.
“I’ve been knowing Robbie forever. Robbie can pretty much do everything,” Johnson said. “But I think we’ve played a lot of good frontcourt players.”
Stretch bigs gave Michigan’s defense fits in both games against Wisconsin. In the first meeting, the Wolverines played the percentages and didn’t guard 6-10 forward Aleksas Bieliauskas out on the 3-point line. They ended up paying a price.
Bieliauskas, who entered that matchup shooting 29.6% from deep (8-for-27) and with one 3-pointer in the previous five games, burned Michigan with a season-high five 3-pointers. Combined with 6-11 forward Nolan Winter, a 30.2% 3-point shooter on the season at that point, the two made nine of Wisconsin’s 15 3-pointers in an upset and handed Michigan its only Big Ten loss during the regular season.
In the rematch between the teams in the Big Ten tournament semifinals, Wisconsin’s bigs once again were a thorn in Michigan’s side. Bieliauskas hit three 3-pointers, but this time it was 6-10 Austin Rapp who went nuclear. Rapp tied his career high with six 3s, all coming in the final 9:26 and many of those coming on drive and kicks.
There were several lessons to take from those experiences. May, for starters, said Michigan needs to do a better job of challenging passes, being prepared to rotate or switch depending on the game plan, and disrupting the opponent’s timing and rhythm.
Forward Yaxel Lendeborg cited giving Mara more help when he’s in off-ball defense and fanning out when he’s on ball to force the ball handler away from the middle of the court.
Forward Will Tschetter, Johnson and Mara all pointed to the importance of guarding the ball and not giving Saint Louis — a team that ranks in the top 10 in both 2-point shooting and 3-point shooting, with five players shooting at least 40% from 3-point range — any advantages on dribble drives.
“After you overhelp, there’s going to be players wide open for 3,” Mara said. “I think if we do a better one-on-one defense, that is not going to happen. I’m not going to need to maybe help the rim, so they’re not going to find those wide-open shooters. By doing that and being quicker when they get the ball to be there with one hand up, those things are very important.”
It all has the makings for an intriguing chess match between Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz and May, who are close friends that talk weekly and often share ideas.
Schertz called the Wolverines the best team in the country, with their elite talent, their ability to hurt teams in different ways on offense and their knack to make things hard for opponents defensively.
Michigan has a unique team with its frontcourt size across the board. Saint Louis is unique because its offense revolves around Avila rather than a traditional point guard.
The key question is who is going to guard Avila?
“Is it Mara, is it Johnson, is it Yax? Where do they put Mara?” Schertz said. “The thing with Robbie is he can find mismatches and he does a good job of triggering a layering offense. His ability to provide spacing, he’s obviously an incredible shooter and passer. He’ll be a focal point for us, regardless. He always is.
“I think (Avila’s) ability to provide horizontal spacing, take bigs away from the basket, opens up driving and cutting lanes, and we’ll need all of that. … We’ll need the best version of him and everybody else against Michigan.”
The same could be said for the Wolverines, who will need to be on top of their game defensively and find an answer to a problem they’ve struggled with at times.
“(Avila) is like the hub. Everything runs through him,” guard Nimari Burnett said. “At the same time, they all play well off each other. He’s a big part of what they do, and we look forward to the challenge.”
NCAA Tournament
NO. 1 SEED MICHIGAN VS. NO. 9 SEED SAINT LOUIS
▶ What: Second-round NCAA Tournament game
▶ When: Saturday, 12:10 p.m.
▶ Where: KeyBank Arena, Buffalo, New York
▶ TV: CBS
▶ Records: Michigan 32-3, Saint Louis 29-5
jhawkins@detroitnews.com
@jamesbhawkins
Michigan’s Morez Johnson Jr. on 101-80 win over Howard in NCAA opener
Morez Johnson Jr. scored 21 points with 10 rebounds in 101-80 victory over Howard in Buffalo.
James Hawkins of The Detroit News breaks down Michigan’s second-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament and predicts the outcome:
Michigan vs. Saint Louis scouting report
▶ Saint Louis (29-5) set a school record for victories in a season in dominate fashion. The ninth-seeded Billikens shot 58% from the field and set numerous program marks for an NCAA Tournament game in Thursday’s 102-77 shellacking of No. 8 seed Georgia, including points scored, field goals (42), assists (27) and margin of victory. Per KenPom’s rankings, the Bulldogs (No. 37) are the highest-rated team that Saint Louis has beaten this season and just the third top-50 team, after Santa Clara (No. 38) and VCU (No. 42), who both made the Big Dance.
▶ The Billikens rank in the top 15 nationally in numerous offensive and defensive categories. On offense, they’re second in 3-point shooting (40.2%), sixth in field-goal percentage (50.9%), 10th in made 3-pointers (10.9) and assists (18.3) per game, 10th in scoring offense (87.2 points) and 11th in 2-point shooting (59.6%). On defense, they lead the nation in opposing field goal percentage (37.9%), rank fifth in 2-point field goal percentage (44.6%) and are seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (29.8%).
▶ Redshirt junior guard Kellen Thames and redshirt sophomore guard Trey Green led the Atlantic 10 in 2-point shooting (67.8%) and 3-point shooting (45.7%), respectively. Green’s 3-point mark also ranks third in the nation and headlines a long-range attack that features four Billikens who are shooting at least 40% from deep on 50-plus attempts. The others are forward Brady Dunlap (44.1%), guard Ishan Sharma (42.8%), center Robbie Avila (41.6%) and guard Dion Brown (40.4%). Saint Louis has made as many as 19 3-pointers in a game this season and has drained at least 10 deep balls 22 times across 34 contests.
Get Fubo to watch the Michigan vs. Saint Louis game
Michigan vs. Saint Louis prediction
Saint Louis, the Atlantic 10 regular-season champion, carved up and dissected Georgia’s defense in a blowout win. The Billikens will provide much more of a test than Howard did, and Michigan is going to need to be locked in defensively from the start.
The Wolverines have struggled to guard stretch fives (see both Wisconsin games) and Saint Louis just so happens to have a big man — the bespectacled Robbie Avila — who shoots 40% from deep. If Michigan can find a way to solve that defensive dilemma, it should be Sweet 16-bound in its seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance, though it might not come comfortably. Pick: Michigan, 84-78
➤MICHIGAN TICKETS: Buy Michigan basketball tickets for March Madness
NCAA Tournament
NO. 1 SEED MICHIGAN VS. NO. 9 SEED SAINT LOUIS
What: Second-round NCAA Tournament game
When: Saturday, 12:10 p.m.
Where: KeyBank Arena, Buffalo
TV: CBS
Records: Michigan 32-3, Saint Louis 29-5
A woman whose high school photos were digitally altered to appear nude and then shared online says she feels “completely manipulated” and let down by a justice system that has so far spared one of the men involved from jail time.
Madison Kinsella, 32, graduated from Plymouth-Canton Educational Park in 2011.
She said she first learned in 2023 that images of her as a minor had been hacked from her and altered to appear nude.
“I received a message from a fellow victim,” Kinsella said in an interview with the Investigators on Local 4. “She informed me that an agent that was involved in the case that they were building was also going to reach out, and later on that week, they actually came to my parents’ home in Michigan and spoke with them about what was going on.”
Kinsella said she was traveling when she got the call, trying to process what federal investigators were telling her.
“Your brain has never moved faster than when you’re hearing that information,” Kinsella said. “And then all of a sudden, you’re realizing that’s why I had my Apple ID password changing every day for two years, because these people were hacking into my phone and doing God knows what. And it’s just a violation of privacy, of trust, of thinking you know someone.”
The backstory
Federal prosecutors said three former P-CEP students, Daniel Bihn, an engineer; Michael Justus, who worked in digital technology and AI; and Bernard Rice, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, conspired for years to hack accounts and steal or manipulate intimate photos of women, often former classmates, then trade or post them online.
Investigators said the men used a Russian website and the anonymous messaging platform Discord to exchange nude images, some of which were obtained by hacking Snapchat accounts and accessing the password-protected “My Eyes Only” feature.
Court records show agents eventually tied online usernames, including “Triangle Guy,” alleged to be Bihn, to the former students and raided Bihn’s home in January 2021, seizing electronics.
Later that year, investigators searched Justus’ Illinois home and connected Rice to the chats.
The chats
In one 2019 Discord exchange described in federal filings, Justus and Rice discussed a “list” of women for Bihn to target:
“Very interested to see your list and see if there’s any blatant misses on my end.”
“Just got around to it lol.”
“She’s cute – nice add.”
“Good stuff.”
Kinsella said her images were not true nude photographs but rather high school pictures that had been digitally altered, something she considers a very small consolation.
“I consider myself somewhat lucky that it wasn’t a real private image, and I take some peace in knowing that it was fake,” Kinsella said. “However, I feel completely manipulated in this situation, completely … just used. It’s shattering, really, to know that this is what my face has been put on and to be made to look like… that some people believe that is me.”
“Humiliation is an understatement,” Kinsella added. “It’s just a very devastating, violating feeling.”
Kinsella said she is especially angered by what she sees as attempts to cast some of the men as socially awkward or starved for female attention.
“I find it very interesting that in the court documents that are public, we can read that there’s been a sort of spin on these men not getting female attention,” Kinsella said. “Mike Justus, who I know, I can say that wasn’t true. It’s a complete lie.”
Guilty pleas
All three men pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiracy to commit fraud and related computer activity.
Bihn has been sentenced to time served, along with probation and restitution.
Rice was also sentenced to probation and restitution. Justus is scheduled to be sentenced on March 26.
Kinsella said she is disappointed but not surprised by the sentences handed down so far.
“If we can’t rely on the court system to do what needs to be done, then unfortunately it’s on our communities to respond, and I hope that is what happens,” Kinsella said.
Another victim, in a statement read in court, described the lasting trauma:
“When I found out my private photos have been posted online, I began having daily panic attacks multiple times per day, could not leave my house, had to start weekly therapy; I’m still working through this trauma to this day.”
Kinsella said she, too, has been in therapy since learning about the manipulated images.
She said she is “terrified” that more manipulated images of her are out there.
“To the women that have had to go through this, either in this specific experience or something similar, I think it’s important to find your power and your voice,” Kinsella said. “Even if men are going to behave this way, you owe it to yourself to be your fullest and most alive self and not stifle or be scared of the world.”
Kinsella believes change will only come if women stand together and communities refuse to look the other way.
“My prayer is that one day this will change and no longer be a reality,” Kinsella said. “And that only happens when we all work together.”
Kinsella said she and several other women plan to attend Justus’ sentencing on March 26th to “look him in the eyes.”
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