White Plains (N.Y.) Archbishop Stepinac 2025 defensive lineman Kadear Dembele has long followed the West Virginia football program from afar.

So, it goes without saying that receiving a scholarship offer from the Mountaineers was a noteworthy event in his overall recruitment.

“I am thrilled to have received an offer from West Virginia, a school I’ve admired since my childhood particularly because of Tavon Austin,” he said.

Dembele, 6-foot-3, 295-pounds, found out about the scholarship offer during his commute to school when he spoke with defensive line coach AJ Jackson.

The interior defensive lineman is aware of the priority that West Virginia places on not only developing players on the field, but away from it which is something that has his attention. And the plan is to make it to campus to see everything for himself in the near future.

“I’m excited to experience it firsthand and have plans to explore the campus soon,” he said.

West Virginia joins Cincinnati, Wake Forest and Minnesota as the power four programs that have offered with each of those schools targeting him at the interior defensive tackle spot. All of the coaches recruiting him have been impressed with his speed at his size and the way he carries himself off the field.

This past season Dembele recorded over 80 tackles, with 36 tackles for loss and 9 sacks.

Dembele plans to head down to see both N.C. State and Wake Forest this upcoming weekend, which will be the first visits that he has taken since his recruitment started to heat up.

The athletic lineman wants to find a program that is going to provide the family atmosphere he is searching for as well as a place that will embrace both him and his family.