The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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whole life. I'm in a position where it works out for me." tackle in high school, was brought to Michigan from in-state Birmingham Brother Rice with the hope that he'd win the long snapper job, and he's forged a camaraderie with Dileo and Gibbons in that role. "We're pretty good friends, even if He's not the only one. Glanda, a left 'I FEEL APPRECIATED' I'm pretty hard on him," Dileo said. "In practice if I don't get a good snap, he'll hear about it. Most of the time I'm playing, but there's sometimes some seriousness to it. He's a phe- nomenal long and short snapper, and it makes my job a lot easier." Others, like Reynolds, a redshirt junior receiver from Rochester, Mich., made his mark by trying to outwork everyone. He's caught a handful of passes this year, thrown some key blocks and also contributed on spe- cial teams. "He's probably one of the hardest working guys on this team period, whatever it might be," Hoke said. "We do have some depth there, but he's earned that right to go out there and compete. He's intelligent, first and foremost, and he's not afraid, which is always a big thing when you play the game of football. He's pretty detailed in what he does." Others, too, are worthy of praise. While players like quarterbacks De- nard Robinson and Devin Gardner receive many of the headlines, there are others who do the dirty work for which they're not as appreciated —at least by the fan base. Seniors Brandin Hawthorne and Kwiatkowski started six games, served as a blocking tight end and hauled in four recep- tions for 31 yards. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ing a nice career at Dakota High School in Macomb, Mich. Though he'd received some interest from a few Division II schools, he was ready to put football behind him for the chance to enroll in Michigan's School of Pharmacy. The gridiron itch, however, never left. In 2009, after seeing a front page story TE Mike Kwiatkowski Strong In His Role Michigan fifth-year Mike Kwiatkowski first enrolled at Michigan in 2008 follow- on the school's athletic website about walk-on tryouts, he decided to see if he had anything left to give. "I came out here to the tryout, completely out of shape, ably three times in the two years leading up to that. During the warm-up alone, I was sweating profusely. I was like, 'I don't know how I'm going to make this. He made it through position-specific drills and one-on-one work. It wasn't until " he recalled. "I ran prob- '" Floyd Simmons were key on special teams this year, Hoke said, while freshman kick return man and punt gunner Dennis Norfleet played an important role. Gyarmati, Wilson and freshman linebacker Joe Bolden, too, were dependable on the teams, he added. Household names they're not, but they're just as important to their teammates as the guys who make the biggest plays on The Big House stage. For Glanda and the rest, that's all that matters. "I feel appreciated," he said. "We have a lot of good guys on this team, and I'm friends with a lot of them. It's definitely a close-knit group with a lot of camaraderie, and I appreciate all of them, too." ❑ he hauled in a catch that made the coaches take notice, though, that they pulled him aside. "Walking off the field, [then-offensive coordinator] Coach [Calvin] Magee told me he was going to keep me," Kwiatkowski recalled. "At first, I said, 'What do you mean you're going to keep me? Did I seriously just make the team?'" He smiled at the recollection. "That was pretty cool. Kwiatkowski became a stalwart on a team that made it to the final weekend be- fore being eliminated from Big Ten title contention. He earned a scholarship and played his heart out for the team for which he grew up rooting. "Most of the people that see you as a walk-on are the media or anyone who has a blog out on the Internet, but it's not like you're viewed differently by the strength staff or the coaches, as you're on the team, it's just a team. It's not like Team Scholarship and Team Walk-on." On Nov. 17, he ran through the tunnel one last time in U-M's win over Iowa. "The first time was a huge shock, before. It's not like I was here on a recruiting visit or anything. It's special." " he said. "That's one of my favorite parts. As soon " he said. "I had never been through the tunnel — Chris Balas DECEMBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 31 As was his contribution this year. After playing eight snaps in his first two years, "