Walter Young Bear Stepping Into a Guard Spot | WVU Football All 105

All 105 is a West Virginia Sports Now series profiling each member of the 2025 WVU Football Roster.

Walter Young Bear walked on at Tulsa ahead of the 2021 season and, after taking a redshirt year to develop, managed to appear in 33 games across three seasons. 

Beginning his college career as a special teamer, the 6-foot-3, 312-pound offensive guard broke into the starting lineup in 2023 before starting 11 games at left guard with the Golden Hurricane last season.

Young Bear’s surname derives from his Native American heritage: his ancestry includes the Kiowa, Comanche, Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Tribes. Joining a WVU Football team that needed to replace all of their starting talent on the offensive line from last season, Young Bear has an excellent chance of stepping into a starting role.

54 • Walter Young Bear, redshirt senior offensive line

Last year: Young Bear started 11 games at left guard for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Stats: 33 career games (13 starts) after walking on at Tulsa.

Post-camp outlook: The Mountaineers needed to rebuild their offensive line room after losing all five of last season’s starters, so they brought in veteran transfers like Young Bear to fill those gaps.

Projected role: Expect Young Bear to start at one of the guard spots in 2025.

Accolades, highlights: A former walk-on who managed to appear in almost all of Tulsa’s games after taking a redshirt year to develop, Young Bear’s story of self-made success makes him easy to root for.

Coverage Links:

WVU Football Beats Out Pitt, Other P4 Programs for Transfer OL Walter Young Bear

Watch: Rich Rodriguez, Jordan Walker, Walter Young Bear Talk After Fall Camp Practice No. 14