Boateng suffered a preseason ankle injury in August 2004 that forced him to miss his senior season of football at Abraham Lincoln High School. He was named to the U.S. Army All-American team as one of the top wide receivers in the country. As a junior, he led the team to an undefeated season while playing wide receiver, cornerback, kicker, punter, and punt returner. He also lettered in basketball at Lincoln, where he played with future NBA star Sebastian Telfair and was featured in Through the Fire, winning three consecutive New York City PSAL basketball championships. After his senior year, Boateng was regarded as arguably the best two-sports athlete ever to come out of New York City and the first New York state player ever to accept a scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley. Following his senior year of high school, Boateng was ranked by Scout.com as the 5th-best wide receiver prospect in the country, while at his position.
College
Boateng was a highly touted player, and multiple colleges lobbied to recruit him. During a high school all-star game, he announced that he chose to go to the University of Florida. Boateng received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played wide receiver for coach Urban Meyer's team.
California
Boateng contributed in his first season in a Golden Bears' uniform, leading the club with 58 catches and 885 receiving yards. He also was second on the team with nine receiving touchdowns and third with an average of 17.1 yards per reception. Boateng had at least one reception in nine consecutive games and 11 of the team's final 12 outings, and he had eight receptions in three games, which tied his career high. He also had a career-high 107 yards receiving on two catches against UCLA and had three other games with more than 50 receiving yards against Maryland, Oregon and Arizona State. Boateng caught touchdown passes twice in consecutive home games. Two of Boateng's touchdown receptions were on flea-flicker plays; the first came against UCLA when QB Kevin Riley got the ball back from TB Jahvid Best and hit him for a 70-yard touchdown, before corralling a 50-yard pass from WR Jeremy Ross at Oregon State for his six and final touchdown catch of the season. Boateng also recorded two tackles. Toward the end of the season, even with the team's passing game and struggles on offense, Boateng was becoming a team leader. Boateng was instrumental in one of the key plays in the Golden Bears' season, catching a 53-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Riley on a flea flicker during a close game early in the 4th quarter in California's 41-20 win over UCLA.
2009
Boateng caught his first touchdown pass of the season in California's home opener against Maryland for 39 yards. In California's first away game of the season against Minnesota on September 19, he fractured his right foot. Boateng had surgery to insert a pin into the foot and missed two games. He registered 15 receptions for 291 yards receiving and two touchdowns during 11 contests off the bench. Boateng had touchdown receptions in the season's first and last games: He connected with quarterback Kevin Riley for a 69-yard touchdown against Maryland in the season opener and again at Washington for 42 yards in the season finale. Boateng had two receptions in five different games, and had a season-high 84 receiving yards against Maryland. He was selected second-team preseason All-Pac-10 by Phil Steele.
Boateng was signed by the New York Giants on August 6, 2009. During rookie training camp, Boateng noted that he looked forward to playing with former Michigan Wolverine Amani Toomer.
