It was a matter of time and the big man from Bellevue finally heard what he wanted to hear. It was over the last week that the Wolverines Nose-Guard and Center/Guard Michael Kneip heard the words he was waiting to hear.
“Coach Sark called me to come over for a official visit which I did. He told me he very much wanted me to walk on and that he is confident that I can earn a scholarship,” said the 6’5″ and 295 pound 3 time State Champ. “So after thinking about this and all of it I am committing to the Huskies on signing day as a preferred walk-0n.”
A dream come true for a kid like Michael who basically bleeds Purple and Gold like a lot of Seattle area kids. But the connection to the program has some serious roots that are far deeper then those of any of the Coaches or other recruits.
His Dad and both Aunts went to the U of W as well as several other family members. Moreover his Grandfather Neil played fullback for the Dawgs and that has Michael really excited to go and represent the family too.
‘I spoke to my grandfather and he was really happy I was going to play there and contribute to the team and the turnaround going on there. It is Awesome,” added Kneip who says every time he sees the Orange Bowl Ring his gramps has he gets more fired up to be there.
WashingtonPreps.com has followed the progress of Kneip for some time even if he was in the shadow of other top guys like Zach Banner and Joshua Garnett. He never stopped working and by seasons end it was hard to say he was not on the same level as those top rated fellahs.
He walks away from Yale, Montana State, and Idaho State offers but does not even hesitate that this is the right move.
Kneip said it best. “What else can I say. It is a Dream come true.”
The Huskies are lucky to have a kid like Michael who is a Top Honors student and a real grinder on the field. Whoever is in that starting rotation in the next year will no doubt be pushed to work hard by Michael who is a kid that simple know how to get it done and to win!
