Winters was born on October 17, 2000, and grew up in Burton, Texas, a small town west of Houston that had only one gas station.
[2] He played football at Burton High School and was a two-way player, although he was primarily used at wide receiver.
[3][4] Although recruited as a safety, Winters' position was quickly changed to linebacker when he arrived at TCU.
[4] As a senior in 2022, Winters led a defense that brought TCU to the national championship game, earning first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors after tallying 79 tackles, the fourth-best on the squad, a team-leading 14.5 tackles-for-lossp (tied with Dylan Horton), and 7.5 sacks, placing second on the team.
[4] He was named most valuable player of their playoff semifinals win over Michigan after recording seven tackles, three of which were for a loss, a pass breakup and a 29-yard interception return touchdown.