Owen Linder Owen Linder 6'5" | 275 lbs | OL Chanhassen | 2026 State MN (Chanhassen) OL. – Saw his ranking rise from #66 to #2 in Minnesota.

Everyone in the Minnesota high school recruiting space knows about Chanhassen’s 6’5, 265 lb. OT Owen Linder by now. Already ranked as one of the top 25 OTs in the nation by 247Sports, Linder holds P4 offers from Iowa State, Cal-Berkely, Kansas, Kansas State, Purdue, and Arkansas, and schools such as Nebraska, Northwestern, Indiana, USC, Boston College, Minnesota, and Michigan State have either visited Chanhassen to see Linder or contacted him directly. He passed the eye test and played his butt off when I saw him early in September last fall, and the LG was an integral part in the Storm going 13-0 and winning the 2023 MN 5A state championship.

If I remember correctly, Linder didn’t even have any freshman film from 2022, hence the #66 ranking, and although I value seeing a freshman lineman with great size early, if you don’t have film there’s a chance he isn’t holding that weight well and has a ways to go in terms of fitting into and getting comfortable in his body. Sounds like he did was a good athlete from the jump and just needed some more experience in high school and working on his body, because he came into the first game of 2023 as the most physical and dominant presence on the field and biggest athlete in every game he played in as a sophomore. You don’t need a regional or national outlet to tell you this kid is a special kind of sophomore OL.

Great size and frame, holds his 250 pounds well and has room to fill in, shows noticeable muscle development and strength as well. Linder is powerful at the contact point and uses his strength to noticeably impact opponents, and once he get hands on you can see the impact of his punch and pads have on a defender. The 250 lber. changes direction and starts/stop very well for his size, is balanced and shows off body control when finding work and bullying LBs and DBs at the second level and in space, and is collected and quick puller who can really put a hit on a defender when he has a full head of steam. I love his understanding of leverage, he does a great job of capitalizing and taking advantage on opponents getting ff balance or out of position, and he’s experienced in pass pro but isn’t passive and brings the fight to the DL. The body control, physicality, strength, and effectiveness in space are all very advanced and developed for his age and size, and it’s safe to say he looks like he could play on Sundays one day if he keeps up the good work. The Chanhassen connection, physical development at such a young age, Arkansas offer, and potential as a nationally-touted recruit all give obvious Frank Ragnow vibes. You’ll be hearing a lot about the 2026 MN OL class the next couple cycles, and with Andrew Trout Andrew Trout 6'6" | 270 lbs | OL Rocori | 2026 State MN already off the board and committed to Minnesota, Linder is going to be the most popular prospect in the class. Everything in his game screams natural blocker and offensive lineman.