Even though he is just entering his junior year, Lakeland High's Kevin Kwapis is a name colleges should start to know, especially given the growth he made this offseason.
"I'm 6'8, 315-lbs," Kwapis reports. "I got a lot bigger. I grew a couple inches and put on about 20-lbs."
That should make things even tougher on opponents. Last season, as a sophomore, Kwapis stepped right in and played left tackle for Lakeland, and says it was not too overwhelming of an experience adjusting to the level of competition.
"I was on JV freshman year, and I feel I was more nervous on JV playing as a freshman, than as a sophomore on varsity. I wasn't nervous. It was an adjustment, because the kids were big; the same size as me, when I was used to beating up on little kids."
So far, Kwapis has had interest coming from Michigan, Syracuse, Grand Valley State and Wayne State, but there should be more coming as his name hits the radar screens. He went out to Syracuse to camp recently and says it was a nice experience.
"It was good. Their campus was really nice. Me and my dad drove around the night before. Camp wise, I learned a lot. The coaches, I went to the UM camp, and UM was probably more strict. Syracuse more laid back."
The Wolverines spent quite a bit of time working with Kwapis though, and he says he picked up some good things in Ann Arbor.
"Their offensive line coach, Darrell Funk, I talked to him a lot. He was telling me tips, what I can do for future years, and things I can do to improve my balance, flexibility, and be better for future years."