About a year and a half ago, Landon Guenter was just like any typical teenager, creating a social media account on X to follow his favorite football teams, coaches and players.
Little did he know, his social media presence would lead to recruiting.
Shortly after posting his junior highlights on X, formerly Twitter, Guenter started getting personal direct messages from college coaches.
One school that reached out was Washington State.
The coaching staff, led by offensive line coach Jack Abercrombie, was so impressed with the 6-foot-6, 255-pound lineman that they invited Guenter to the Cougars’ spring football game.
Guenter took the trip to Pullman, Wash., and it was there after the spring game that Washington State officially offered the Redwood High School senior a scholarship.
“It’s crazy,” Guenter said. “Just the business side of football nowadays, it feels like college football is the wild west with NIL and everything, but it’s awesome at the same time.”
In June, Guenter took his official visit to the Pac-12 program, and a few days later, he verbally committed to play for head coach Kirby Moore’s Cougars. Moore, a former Boise State standout, is the younger brother of New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore.
Guenter, rated as a three-star recruit by the recruiting website 247sports.com, chose Washington State over offers from Fresno State, Idaho, San Diego State, UNLV and Northern Arizona.
Why the Cougars?
“For me, it was just the coaching staff and being in Pullman,” Guenter said. “It just felt like home. I was there, and it was a gut feeling. It felt right for me. The coaching staff, it felt like a family reunion when I was on my official visit.”
Football is a Guenter family sport.
His dad, Jeremy, played football at Utah State, suiting up for the Aggies in 2000-03 as a 6-4 defensive tackle.
Now, Guenter will be following that family college football tradition his dad started.
“It’s super satisfying,” Guenter said. “It’s something I’ve worked for my whole life up to this point. I’m super grateful for the opportunity. The work is just getting started.”
Guenter grew up in Utah, attending Utah State games in Logan.
When Guenter visited Pullman, the small-town college community reminded him of Logan.
The Guenter family moved to Visalia in 2019 when his father, a dentist, reconnected with one of his best friends from dental school to join his practice.
Guenter is a two-way starter and will start at right tackle and defensive end as a senior.
During his breakout junior year at defensive end under first-year head coach Curtis Allen, Guenter earned the 2025 East Yosemite League Defensive Lineman of the Year award. In five league games, he racked up four sacks and 11 tackles while leading a Rangers defense that surrendered 14 points or fewer in four of their five EYL victories. He also played on the offensive line.
Reigning EYL champion Redwood hosts Dinuba on Aug. 21 for its season opener at Mineral King Bowl. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
“He’s been real good,” Allen said. “He can do it all. He’s going to play offense and defense.”
Projected starting lineup
Defense
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: How social media helped Redwood’s Landon Guenter land a scholarship
Reporting by Vongni Yang, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Vongni Yang, Visalia Times-Delta | USA TODAY Network
