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"Don't join the cheaters": Football fans react as 4-star Texas RB Javian Osborne narrows recruiting list to Michigan and Notre Dame

Modified Apr 01, 2025 16:04 GMT

Four-star running back Javian Osborne has named his final shortlist of two schools as he nears his commitment decision. The Forney (Texas) running back announced on Monday that his two considerations are Michigan and Notre Dame.

Hayes Fawcett reported the news on X, drawing reactions from fans of the respective programs and college football fans at large.

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Several users urged Osborne to choose the Fighting Irish over Michigan.

“Don’t join the cheaters in asterisk Ann Arbor. Go with the Catholics. It’s the right decision, young man,” one posted.

“Go to ND youngin.”

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Meanwhile, others found the showdown between Notre Dame and Michigan for Osborne’s signature interesting.

“Straight one on one matchup. Looking forward to his choice. For a certain player profile, these are the two best programs in college football. ND vs Michigan – not Stanford or Texas or Georgia or Ohio State,” a fan wrote.

"Doesn’t matter, he will transfer after 1 year," another commented.

In another vein, some Michigan fans explained why they think the Wolverines are a better choice.

“Michigan duh…. U see how in the biggest game ND rbs disappeared and u also see the Michigan rbs show up against that same team. That tells me Michigan is more physical and that’s tailor made for any rb,” a fan wrote.

“Both are great programs, but Ann Arbor is way better than South Bend as a place to live,” another posted.

How Texas dropped out of Javian Osborne’s priority list

Javian Osborne is the No. 8 running back in the 2026 class, per the On3 Industry Rankings. He has been a priority for top programs, including Michigan and Texas, for a while. However, Texas fell off his considerations after former Longhorns running backs coach Tashard Choice left to join the Detroit Lions.

He subsequently canceled a visit he scheduled to Austin and is now focused on Michigan and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish recently got a boost in Javian Osborne’s recruitment, hosting him on an unofficial visit and scheduling an official visit for June 13.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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