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Top-100 safety Kainoa Winston schedules North Carolina official visit

Collin-headshotby:Collin Ginnan•02/24/24•

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Kainoa Winston
Photo: EJ Holland/On3

One of the top defensive backs in the nation will be taking a trip to Chapel Hill this summer.

Montgomery Village (Md.) Gonzaga four-star safety Kainoa Winston has scheduled an official visit to North Carolina, he announced on social media. He will be in Chapel Hill from June 21-23.

Winston is one of the most coveted recruits in the 2025 class. He is the nation’s No. 92 overall prospect and No. 9 safety in the 2025 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking — a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Winston also ranks No. 1 in Washington (D.C.).

More on Kainoa Winston’s recruitment

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Winston was offered by Ohio State last summer and will take a spring unofficial visit to see the Buckeyes. Winston’s recruitment to Columbus is being driven by new safeties coach Matt Guerrieri.

“I’m going to the Ohio State practice on March 23,” Winston told Lettermen Row. “I’ve been talking to Coach Guerrieri. We’ve been talking about a lot of things outside of football. We’ve also talked about the school and football program at Ohio State.”

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Also active in Winston’s recruitment is Ohio State’s archrival to the north — Michigan.

“I like Michigan,” Winston told The Wolverine. “I really like the defense they run, I really liked watching (Mike) Sainristil play. They moved him around and did a great job of disguising coverages. There is a reason why Coach (Jesse) Minter is going to the NFL. He ran a great defense over there.”

And why not complete the old Big Ten East lineup? Penn State has also been involved with Winston, and he visited for the Nittany Lions’ junior day last month. Penn State sophomore safety Kevin Winston Jr. is his older cousin.

“I liked how throughout the day it wasn’t just football,” Winston told BWI. “They talked to us about NIL and the academics, too. They really familiarized me with the whole college, along with the football program.”