Former Glenelg star running back Wande Owens signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent on Saturday evening.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Owens transitioned to defensive back in college, where he spent four seasons at Yale and then a graduate season at New Hampshire.

A two-time Howard County Offensive Player of the Year, Owens is Howard County’s all-time rushing leader (6,361 yards) and is just one of two Maryland high school football players to rush for more than 6,000 yards, joining Dunbar legend Tavon Austin (7,962). Owens broke the county’s single-season rushing record twice throughout his four-year career as he surpassed the previous record he set with 2,687 yards as a senior.

“I don’t think you can get a better person for your team,” former Glenelg coach Butch Schaffer said. “He can do pretty much everything. He’s going to be one of those guys that’s going to be one of the hardest workers every day. He’s going to be one of those guys that’s going to get there early and leave late. A complete team player, great leader.”

Owens was a standout performer in his four years with the Bulldogs, appearing in 29 games and recording 165 tackles. He was a two-time first-team All-Ivy and All-New England Selection and a team captain for the Bulldogs in 2023. He was second on the team in tackles as a senior (55) and continued to be a mainstay on the backend of the defense in his lone season with the Wildcats.

At New Hampshire, Owens played in 13 games and finished second on the team with 111 total tackles, including a team-high 59 solo tackles. He also had a sack, an interception, two passes defended, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Owens burst onto the scene in his first game with New Hampshire against Central Florida with a career-high 14 tackles.

A versatile defender, Owens showcased his impressive athleticism in predraft testing. He posted a 9.59 out of 10 relative athletic score, which ranked 51st of 1,207 free safeties from 1987 to 2025, according to Kent Lee Platte, RAS creator. Relative athletic score measures a prospect’s composite size, explosion, speed and agility, with their height, speed, weight and their performance in several drills, including the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jump.

Owens joins a Bills secondary that has been a point of emphasis for the organization this offseason. Buffalo drafted three defensive backs this year with Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston, Ohio State’s Jordan Hancock and Virginia Tech’s Dorian Strong, an Upper Marlboro native.

The Bills also re-signed Baltimore native Christian Benford, brought back cornerbacks Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson, and signed former Washington Commanders safety Darrick Forrest to bolster their secondary.

Owens will look to distinguish himself among that young group and become the fourth former Howard County star to play for the Bills. He would join Mt. Hebron’s Aaron Maybin, Wilde Lake’s Zach Brown and most recently River Hill’s Kevin Johnson, who played for the Bills in 2019.

“He’s excited and looking forward to the opportunity,” Schaffer said. “That’s all he needs, just the opportunity. He can do so much and bring so much to an organization. He’s just one of those kids that I don’t put anything past him. Wande is just Wande to me. He does amazing things all the time. I think he’s going to have a great influence on them and they’re going to see everything that he brings to the table. He brings a tremendous player, smart, intelligent and does everything the right way. He’s going to do whatever they need him to do; I’m just looking forward to seeing how it plays out for him.”

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