National Football Foundation

LB – Wartburg College (IA)
3.99 GPA – Biology
Head Coach: Chris Winter | Athletics Director: John Cochrane
Faculty Athletics Representative: Todd Reiher
Recipient of the Vincent dePaul Draddy Scholar-Athlete Award,
Endowed by The National Football Foundation
 
An exceptional combination of hard work, attention to detail and natural talent built the foundation for Owen Grover to establish himself as one of the most dominant Division III players in the country. Achieving equal success in the classroom with a near perfect GPA, the Dyersville, Iowa, native now becomes the first player in Wartburg College history to be recognized as an NFF National Scholar-Athlete.
 
A pre-med student majoring in biology, Grover’s 3.99 GPA landed him CSC First Team Academic All-America honors in 2022. A three-time CSC Academic All-District selection and a three-time member of the Academic All-Conference Team, Grover is also a member of the Dean’s List.
 
Grover guided the 2022 Wartburg squad to unparalleled success, including an undefeated regular season, the program’s first-ever appearance in the Division III Semifinals, a 13-1 record (the best in school annals) and a final No. 3 ranking. His efforts also helped the Knights claim two American Rivers Conference titles in 2022 and 2019 and Division III Playoff appearances both years.
 
The two-year captain earned First Team All-America honors from D3football.com and Second Team honors from the Associated Press in 2022. Named the D3football.com Regional Defensive Player of the Year and the American Rivers Conference Defensive MVP in 2022, Grover is a two-time All-Region and two-time All-American Rivers Conference selection.
 
Grover entered 2023 with career totals of 251 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, five interceptions, 13 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one blocked kick. The conference leader in 2022 with 112 tackles, Grover set the pace for the nation’s top rush defense (45.1 ypg), and the Knights led American Rivers Conference on defense the last two seasons, holding opponents to just 233.8 ypg in 2022 and 278.6 ypg in 2021. Grover set the school’s career record for total tackles with 325 to date, surpassing the previous record of 313. He has three tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one interception thus far this season.
 
Committed to every aspect of the Knights’ program, Grover has been a leader on campus and in the community, helping with the Dance Marathon to raise money for the Stead Family Children’s Hospital and volunteering at the Waverly Health Center Emergency Department among numerous other volunteer activities. He is also a member of the football team’s leadership council. Grover is attempting to become the third-straight recipient of the Campbell Trophy from an Iowa school, following Jack Campbell (Iowa) in 2022 and Charlie Kolar (Iowa State) in 2021.

(All Stats of Oct. 25, 2023)