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| Wartburg athletics photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
If teams found it difficult to contain Owen Grover last year, the task got even harder this fall.
The Wartburg senior enjoyed a prolific 2022 as he captured American Rivers Conference Defensive MVP honors, was the Region 5 defensive Player of the Year and was a first team All-America pick at outside linebacker.
This season, though, Grover finds himself as the man in the middle as he moved to the Mike linebacker position for the Knights. That’s allowed him to wreak even more havoc on opposing offenses from the middle of the defense.
Defense Week features
- Justin Blazek, UW-Platteville
- Robert Coury, Carnegie Mellon
- Owen Grover, Wartburg
- Caleb Harmel, Trinity (Texas)
- Rossy Moore, Mount Union
- Luke Schuermann, Johns Hopkins
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“I think it was a challenging change, but a good change. It gives me a little more freedom to work side to side and get involved in as many plays as I can,” he said. “I would say it was not a massive change.”
Playing middle linebacker is nothing new for Grover. He started his Wartburg career there before shifting to the outside. He was asked to move into the middle late last year for the start of the team’s drive to the NCAA semifinals after an injury sidelined regular starter Antonio Santillan for a few games.
“I was thrown into it last year and did my best I could at it,” he said. “I really got an opportunity to hone in on the fundamentals and learn the intricacies during the offseason. Just getting the details down was huge – the things that allow me to play to the best of my ability. I really love this challenge, for sure.”
While Grover has worked through the adjustment, he’s enjoyed the ability to be more involved.
“On the outside, you have one key, read it and you know exactly what you’re taking on. Inside, I have some freedom to be creative with my movements. That’s one of the main things,” he said. “The change wasn’t anything crazy. I already knew our playbook, in terms of what’s expected in the middle.
“I love both positions. I really loved playing outside. With the way our outside linebackers play, you know who is coming to block you and you can take him on and be physical. I like the middle more because of the creativity; it allows me to get involved in as many plays as I can and, more importantly, gives me my best contributions to my team, I think.”
The move hasn’t impacted Grover’s production. He leads the team with 74 tackles and became the program’s all-time leader in stops (325).
“With the move, we knew he’d have an even bigger impact on our defense, especially with his ability to run sideline to sideline,” Wartburg coach Chris Winter said. “It’s been a seamless transition. Our Mike does some checks and makes some adjustments to our defense. He’s great at that. It puts him in a spot where he can get noticed even more on the film. I think teams are seeing him have even more impact this year.”
Grover, who wants to attend medical school in the future, continues to excel in the classroom, too. A biology major with a 3.98 GPA, he was named a semifinalist for the National Football Federation’s William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the best football scholar-athlete in the nation for combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
“What he does on the field is special, but what he does off the field and as a person and student is even more impressive,” Winter said. “He just gets it done in the classroom at the highest level. He volunteers his time and is always leading on the field. If I had a to pick one person to exemplify what Wartburg football is all about throughout his career, he’d be it.”
Between juggling football and a rigorous academic schedule Grover has had the ability to give back to the Waverly, Iowa, community through various volunteer efforts. He’s served in the Waverly Health Center’s emergency department, among other things.
“Being nominated for that award is something I am really proud of. One thing I have always grown up with, no matter what you do, you should do it to the best of your ability,” he said. “When I got to Wartburg, there were so many opportunities for me to grow, in terms of academics and athletics. The Waverly community has been incredible, too. To have a chance to volunteer and advance and grow and give back a little to community that gives me so much is amazing. The community does a great job supporting Wartburg.”
Grover was a key component of a Knights team that reached the NCAA semifinals last year for the first time in program history. They were on the verge of playing for a national championship, but Mount Union rallied late for a stunning 34-31 triumph. That loss motivated many seniors with remaining eligibility to return to Wartburg this fall to try to complete the mission.
“One thing we talked about throughout the offseason is that, while we were really proud of what we accomplished, we didn’t get to where we wanted to be. If we want to get to that spot, there are things we have to do differently. So, we’re not trying repeat what we did, but go beyond and continue to build. The enemy of everything we want to do is complacency.”
The No. 3 Knights continue to roll through the regular season. Grover has taken time to appreciate each step along the way.
“I don’t think I can begin to put into words how awesome this experience is and how much fun I’ve been having,” he said. “We have about 15 or so fifth-year seniors back on the team; guys I love being around. It’s been a great group of guys that have allowed me to do what I have loved doing for the last four and a half years. I couldn’t be more grateful for that,” he continued. “This year has been awesome. We have a lot of high hopes for what we’re doing here. I love being a Wartburg Knight and playing for this team.”
And, he gets another chance to play on the same team as younger brother Conner, a sophomore defensive back.
“It’s been incredible. I have three brothers and all four of us grew up playing outside together,” Owen said. “Conner has been my best friend for my entire life. I was really pushing for him to come to Wartburg and play football. This fifth-year opportunity gave me one more chance to play with him. It’s been awesome. Just being around him and spending time with him on and off the field is great.”
While Wartburg’s goals are lofty, the Knights understand the road to get there is a long one.
“We loved being the underdog. Now, we love every team we play each week giving us their best shot. Our best is going to beat your best – that’s our mentality,” Owen said. “No matter what, though, it’s all about us. It doesn’t matter about the rankings or anything like that. We have to go out and play our best game for 60 minutes, no matter who it is or who is across from you. If we don’t do that, then we won’t be where we need to be at the end of the year and competing for the things we want to compete for.”
