By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
SUAMICO – Bay Port High School senior Calvin Muraski said the college football recruiting process was like dating: “It was exciting at first, but then it got tiring.”
Fortunately, for Muraski, the recruiting process is over.
In a small ceremony in the high school weight room Dec. 15, the 6-foot-8, 305-pound offensive tackle signed his National Letter of Intent to play football at Division I Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo.
WMU, which officially offered Muraski a scholarship June 1, competes in the Mid-American Conference with Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ball State and Eastern Michigan.
“It seems like I removed a hundred-pound weight off my shoulders,” said Calvin, the son of Linda and John Muraski. “Recruiting was stressful, and I’m glad it’s over. You get caught up with which coaches are talking to you and which ones are not. Now that it’s all behind me, it’s relaxing.”
Muraski said the COVID-19 pandemic affected the recruiting process.
“I’ve never set foot on the Western Michigan campus for an official or unofficial visit,” he said. “The NCAA shut everything down last March, about two months after I started the process. I went on four unofficial junior-day visits and never got a chance to go to camps. I also wasn’t able to send film because our high school season got postponed to the spring. I feel fortunate with the opportunity Western is giving me.”
Bay Port, along with many other local high schools, moved all of its fall sports to the alternate season the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) is offering next spring.
“It was disappointing to have our season postponed, but I’m excited to play next spring,” Muraski said. “We’ve been back in the new weight room working hard.”
Muraski had 18 Division I offers, including from Yale, Harvard, Central Michigan, Buffalo, North Dakota, Western Illinois and several Missouri Valley Conference schools.
“It was a difficult decision with the Ivy League schools because they are non-scholarship with athletics,” he said. “Central Michigan was also a top choice, but I was drawn more to Western because it has a pre-med program where if you score a 30 on your ACT (American College Testing) and keep a certain grade-point average in college, you’ll get admitted into the pre-med school without having to take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test).”
Muraski said he scored a 28 on his ACT but plans to take it again soon.
“School is a priority for me,” he said. “I plan to major in biomedical sciences.”
Muraski said he can add weight to his frame, either before he gets to Western next summer or while he’s there.
“If I had another 15-20 pounds of good weight on me, I don’t think it would take away from my agility, athleticism and speed,” he said.
Bay Port, which finished as the WIAA Division I state runner-up in 2019, is coached by Gary Westerman.
“I wouldn’t be talking to you right now if it wasn’t for Coach Westerman,” said Muraski. “During my first two years of high school, I had no idea what the recruiting process was. I never thought it was an attainable goal, but coach told me I had the unique opportunity to pursue college football. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be in this position.”