Dexter (Mi.) 2026 offensive tackle Owen Winder had already established a strong relationship with the West Virginia coaching staff so naturally a scholarship offer from the program caught his attention.
Winder, 6-foot-7, 285-pounds, had been in contact with offensive line coach Matt Moore and quarterback coach Tyler Allen for the past few months and developed a strong bond.
“Some of my favorite coaches I have met so far,” he said. “They’ve said to keep grinding and doing what I’m doing.”
Moore was the one that extended the scholarship offer to Winder after a telephone conversation and while he had developed a strong bond the news still came as a surprise.
“I was very excited and happy about the offer,” he said.
Winder made the trip to Morgantown for the Kansas game prior to the offer and was impressed with the total package of what the Mountaineers football program had to offer. While he already had strong ties with the coaching staff, it was a chance to get to know them better as well as look at the facilities.
“I thought the program as a whole was very good with good coaches and a great staff,” he said. “The football facilities were some of the best I have seen.”
The Mountaineers are targeting Winder along the offensive line and have been impressed with his length and how he can utilize that to his advantage. He also plays the game with a mean streak which is attractive to any offensive line coach.
The trip to West Virginia is just the latest on a list of stops with Notre Dame, Kentucky, Toledo, Miami (Oh.), and several others while he plans to head to BYU and Penn State as well.
On top of West Virginia, Winder also has received offers from Kentucky, Duke, and a number of Group of Five programs while he has continued to hear from several more.
Winder is eventually hoping to find a program that not only has good coaches but where he can build a strong relationship with the players on the team as well.
“Also if football was to be taken out it would still feel like home,” he said.
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