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.
ROTHBURY, Mich. — Michigan State Police (MSP) detectives shared some more information Friday about their investigation of the infant death at this year’s Electric Forest music festival in Rothbury.
Troopers recently received a tip about a Muskegon woman who was said to have information about the incident, but after interviewing her and completing other necessary investigative steps, MSP said they ruled her out as a suspect.
A restroom vending company employee at the festival found the body of a neonate, a newborn infant who is four weeks old or younger, in a portable restroom in the festival camping area on June 28, according to troopers.
The festival is hosted at the Double JJ Resort, which was locked down to anyone entering the following day as police surrounded the scene.
Troopers are asking for tips from the public at michigan.gov/michtip.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Harmful algal blooms have been reported on two notable lakes in West Michigan: Gun Lake and Muskegon Lake.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says cyanobacteria was reported on Muskegon Lake July 3, but no tests have confirmed it.
The Barry-Eaton District Health Department says a harmful algal bloom was confirmed Thursday on Gun Lake. The lake remains open, but the BEDHD is encouraging visitors to use caution and avoid water that has “visible algae.”
Visitors are encouraged to avoid any contact with water that appears bright green, blue-green, brown or red or has “floating mats of scum.”
Pets should also avoid the water. If they come into contact with the algae, pets should be rinsed off as soon as possible with clean, fresh water.
Exposure to algae can cause a rash or irritation to the skin, eyes, nose and throat. It can also cause stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever and trouble breathing.
“If you become sick, contact your healthcare provider. Seek medical care right away if you have trouble breathing, severe vomiting, or other serious symptoms,” the BEDHD said in a statement. “If your pet was exposed, rinse them well with clean water and do not let them lick their fur until they have been washed. Contact your veterinarian right away if your pet has vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, trouble walking, excessive drooling, shaking, or seizures.”
Harmful algal blooms are powered by the sudden growth of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria occur naturally in lakes, rivers and ponds but is often boosted by a sudden excess of nutrients, often caused by fertilizer runoff from farms or failed septic systems.
They can last for several days and sometimes even months. The water will look “scummy” or like “spilled paint or pea soup.” They are typically found in the summer and fall — usually peaking in August or September and dying off by the end of October.
You can report a suspected harmful algal bloom to EGLE at AlgaeBloom@Michigan.gov or 1.800.662.9278.
Sterling Stamping Plant is the largest in the world
Ed Daniels, vice president of North America injection and stamping operations, discusses the process of producing metal parts for Stellantis models.
Warren — Hulking metal presses line one wall of Stellantis NV’s cavernous stamping plant here, punching out the raw shapes of Jeep doors, Dodge hoods and Ram tailgates in rapid succession.
Nearby, swinging yellow robots continue the tightly choreographed work, gluing and pressing and welding smaller components to the sheet metal that eventually will start to resemble the shape of a truck or SUV.
Seven miles north, in Sterling Heights, Stellantis operates an even larger stamping plant — the biggest in the world, at 2.7 million square feet — that does much of the same work, churning out various shapes of steel and aluminum 24 hours a day.
Together, these lesser-known links in the manufacturing supply chain support all of Stellantis’ big North American assembly plants — from next-door Warren Truck Assembly Plant, where the Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV is built, to facilities in Windsor and Mexico that make minivans and pickups.
Inside Stellantis’ Huge Detroit Stamping Plants
The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the automaker’s Sterling and Warren stamping plants, which are key to the company’s turnaround plan.
The Metro Detroit stamping plants, the automaker’s only two such facilities in the United States, have at times struggled in recent years, facing major job cuts and worker morale issues amid slowing sales and shifting production plans. But under Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, the facilities are expected to cram in more workload — and add staff — as Stellantis begins a new five-year strategic turnaround plan, which includes a heavy focus on its most profitable North American market.
The carmaker’s goal: grow sales by more than a third to 1.9 million annually by 2030 as it launches 23 vehicles, including 11 all-new models. The company also is directing billions of dollars of investment into its U.S. manufacturing footprint due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“Stamping has never really been viewed as the sexy side of automotive manufacturing, we’re relatively invisible,” said Ed Daniels Jr., vice president of North America injection and stamping operations. “Because when you look at the commercials and advertisements, it’s always a beautiful Ram rolling off the assembly line or climbing the side of a mountain.
“But we’re the inception of that vehicle,” he said. “This is where raw materials are turned into commodities and parts.”
The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the two plants that combined employ about 3,000 people. The automaker wanted to show off a newly-installed blanking press at Warren Stamping and other machinery like a high-speed transfer press and a robot that spots flaws in the metal.
Hiring expected
The blanking press unspools long coils of metal and chops them up into pieces that can then be shaped into roofs, fenders and floor pans. Stellantis shipped the massive machine to Warren from its idled Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois last year.
After upgrades to the machine, executives said it’s able to produce as many as 120,000 metal blanks per week. It will save Stellantis money since the plant will no longer need to pay a supplier to break down the coils before the metal arrives there.
The blanker addition is a big deal for the plant and signals that the company wants to bring more work in-house and invest in the facility over the coming years, said Romaine McKinney III, president of United Auto Workers Local 869, which represents workers at the factory.
The plant has already brought back all of its laid-off UAW workers, and McKinney said he anticipates more hiring to get underway if sales grow and new Stellantis vehicles come to market.
In another corner of the Warren facility, one of the fastest press lines in the world — known internally as the Hellcat — pushes as many as 15 pieces of metal through per minute. Dies that weigh up to 50 tons apiece squish the material into the shapes of doors and hoods before robotic arms snatch them out and place them on conveyor belts. Midway through a shift, workers can reconfigure the machine to make a different component, a process that takes just five minutes.
Robots check for quality
Curtis Booth, who manages Warren Stamping, said manual processes inside the plant have become increasingly automated, and safer, over the last couple decades, even as the automaker’s two stamping factories still utilize some presses that were installed in the 1960s.
The latest high-tech addition is the Automated Body Inspection System, or ABIS. It’s a camera system mounted on a robot that automatically checks the quality of components and flags anything in need of repair.
Auto plants of all kinds are increasingly turning to these types of camera systems, infused with artificial intelligence, to catch flaws in sheet metal and other components before they are shipped. Booth said worker visual inspections are still used. But in some cases the human eye has too much subjectivity, and the ABIS removes the guesswork.
Greg Bauer, who manages Sterling Stamping, said his plant has added staff over the past year, and expects to continue hiring as more work is assigned to the facility. There is no space at the plant to add more presses, but officials have figured out how to increase efficiency — quickly toggling back and forth between making doors for a Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Charger on on a single machine, for example.
“We want to bring high-volume parts into the plant, and we want to maximize the capacity of the equipment,” Daniels said.
lramseth@detroitnews.com
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