Now that the Michigan Wolverines are the odds-on favorites to land 2026 four-star running back Javian Osborne, let's take a closer look at the highly-coveted prospect.
The 5-foot-10, 195-pounder from Forney, Texas has already produced some incredible high school tape. In his 2023 sophomore campaign, he exploded for 2,231 yards and 41 touchdowns on 290 carries. He followed that up with a 188-carry, 1,227-yard, 25-touchdown effort in 2024.
The top-100 overall player in the class has superstar potential. Let's see how well he'd fit in Ann Arbor.
When evaluating Osborne, the first thing that jumps out is his shiftiness. He possesses elite lateral quickness and consistently jukes defenders out of their shoes. He has great patience and uses his east-west movement to create space -- even in the unlikeliest of scenarios.
His hips are smooth and fluid, and his footwork already looks to be at a collegiate caliber. You simply cannot teach this type of quickness.
Osborne's jump cuts are reminiscent of former Wolverine great Blake Corum, who also excelled at evading tacklers. One difference is Osborne is not nearly as physical of a runner. He does not typically initiate contact and does not usually drag tacklers with him.
Osborne has excellent athleticism, particularly in his vertical and ability to hurdle defenders. He has tons of creativity with the ball in his hands and can adapt to multiple calls. His vision and low center of gravity are good enough for inside schemes, and he loves to shake linemen and bounce it to the outside.
Additionally, he can take broken plays and turn them into huge gains. Osborne does not necessarily need a lead blocker or a puller to create separation -- he could probably operate inside a phone booth.
Osborne can hit the hole hard and burst through the line of scrimmage, but once he gets to the second level, he does not have elite breakaway speed. Now, this is all relative. It's not that he is slow, but he does not rip off long runs quite like some of his recruiting classmates.
Finally, Osborne has reliable hands. Whether it be designed screens, routes out of the backfield or checkdowns, he has gained the trust of his high school quarterback and coaches to receive those opportunities. Plus, he is stout in pass protection and fearless against blitzes.
These traits scream three-down back potential.
Now that Chip Lindsey is in charge of the offense, let's dive into how Osborne would fit in with the new offensive coordinator.
"Our goal is to have the most physical and explosive offense in the country," Lindsey told Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast. "You have to be able to run the football when you want to do it."
Lindsey was blessed with a gifted running back at his previous stop North Carolina. Omarion Hampton, arguably the best non-Ashton Jeanty running back prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, was a monster in Lindsey's scheme. At 6-foot, 220 pounds and 4.46 40 speed, Hampton and Osborne share some similar tangibles.
In 2023, Hampton took 253 carries for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns. He followed up with a 281-carry, 1,660-yard, 15-touchdown performance in 2024. He led the ACC in attempts and rushing yards each season. Hampton also shone in the receiving game, as he hauled in 67 receptions for 595 yards over two seasons. We could see Osborne deployed similarly.
Lindsey loves to run inside zone and incorporates split zone and pulling guard/tackle looks, too. He does not utilize a ton of outside zone plays, but this is something Osborne can pull off naturally.
Many of Osborne's high school highlights came via inside runs where he can either accelerate through the hole or slow the pace and cut it to the outside. Regardless of what Lindsey dials up, he should be salivating at the thought of Osborne in his offense.
Osborne is a tantalizing runner who would instantly capture the admiration of Michigan fans. Now, here's to hoping it becomes a reality.