The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 25 who could distribute it. That move wouldn't last long — Paye made cer- tain of it. "When I first started, they wanted me to play center," Paye said. "I was messing up the snaps on purpose, be- cause I didn't want to just snap the ball and block. "They put me in the backfield and I was running the ball. I was much big- ger than all the other kids and scoring touchdowns. They said, 'Yeah, that's your spot on this team.'" Eventually, he became a search-and- destroy weapon aimed at those pos- sessing the ball. He kept growing, and at Providence's Bishop Hendricken High, he drew interest from a number of colleges. Only one featured Don Brown as its defensive coordinator. Brown had offered Paye a scholarship when he was coaching at Boston College, but uncertainty entered the mix when the coach moved to Michigan. Paye described himself as "rough on technique," in high school, where he didn't perform much in the defensive end role he now holds. Brown, how- ever, didn't forget him or his potential. "Don Brown was the main reason, the only reason, I came to Michigan," Paye said. "After he offered me, I knew there was no other choice but to come play for Don Brown. I feel like he was the first person that showed any type of interest in me. I felt in a way like I owed it to him to come play for him." A COOL RECEPTION One recruiting service listed Paye as the nation's 458th-best player. That's not exactly the sort of distinction that sends chills up the spines of star gazers. In fact, Paye — understandably ex- cited about the adventure ahead of him — quickly discovered the fickle nature of fandom and its judgments. "When I committed, it was a huge day for me," Paye recalled. "I called Coach [Jim] Harbaugh and said I'm committing. I told Coach Brown, and everyone in my school was happy, congratulating me. "I was on Twitter, and I wasn't re- ally welcomed with warm hugs. It was kind of like, 'Oh, who is this three- star bum from Rhode Island? We don't need three stars, we need five stars. You guys can keep him. We don't need him.' "It kind of hurt. I was like, damn. This is my fan base. They're supposed to love me. I didn't really feel like there was a lot of love there." He discovered the love where he continues to find it, from his team- mates — although 115,000 regularly join in these days. The class of 2017 included Paye in its group chat in the months prior to their arrival in Ann Arbor. The feel changed immediately. "From that point on, I built those bonds and we created a close friend- ship," Paye said. "Having those guys put me in the chat really helped me mesh into the team. There was a lot of hateful stuff on social media, but from that point on I was like, yeah, you can't pay attention to what the critics and fans say about you. "Even now, all the people who said, 'We hate you, we don't want you to come here, you're a three-star bum,' are the ones saying, 'Oh, Kwity Paye is so great, he's done a lot for our team.' That just showed me how fast people can switch up on you, no matter who you are." Paye stands as a stalwart for the Wolverines, an Academic All-Big Ten performer a year ago and an honorable mention All-Big Ten player, despite toiling behind present NFL performers Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich. Heading into Michigan's second bye week in 2019, Paye led the Wolverines in tackles for loss (10) and ranked sec- ond in quarterback sacks (5.5) and QB hurries (three). "Playing against some great offen- sive linemen so far this season, at Wis- consin and Iowa, I feel like it's given me the confidence to play against any- body," Paye said. "I had enough ex- perience. It's perfecting my craft. I've played against great tackles here." He's asserted himself as one of Mich- igan's top performers on the defensive side of the ball, prompting head coach Jim Harbaugh to approach him dur- ing the Iowa game and tell him he's "unblockable." FOREVER GRATEFUL If that's the case, Paye knows it's because of a woman who wouldn't allow the greatest terrors to block her from taking care of her sons. Paye has never been to Liberia, but insists it will be his first big trip after he leaves Michigan. He is anxious to meet those family members he's never encountered. "I'll see my dad, first and foremost, because I've never seen him before," Paye assured. "I'll be able to see him, see my aunts. My mom says any time she goes back, they're always excited to ask about me. I'm named after her father. "All her sisters are like, 'Where's Kwity? Where's Kwity?' I always wanted to go back and see them." Kwity is in Ann Arbor, preparing for a big finish to the season and a poten- tially huge future in football. Tens of thousands hail him now, but he redi- rects attention to a woman who defied all challenges to usher him into his present opportunity. "She didn't even speak English that well," Paye mused. "To be able to build a family here, coming from where she came from, it's had a huge impact in my life. "In anything I do, when I feel like I'm too tired to study, I just think about my mom. She didn't even have the op- portunity to do what I'm doing right now. I get my butt up and go study. "If I'm a little too tired before prac- tice, I listen to some African music my mom likes, just to remind me there's a lot of people behind me. My country of Liberia is behind me. I have Liberian blood. "Having those people behind me keeps me fighting, every single day." ❏ Paye's Pro Football Focus defensive grade of 81.8 was tied for 16th among all edge rushers with at least 400 snaps played as of Nov. 12. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN