Glowinski took slightly different path to starting spot

They were right.

He became an All-Big 12 first team offensive guard, beating out his more highly publicized, but this past year, often-injured WVU teammate, Quinton Spain.

And now he finds himself in a similar situation, only this time he’s not looking to find a place in college where he can play.

He’s looking at the NFL and the NFL is looking at him, and a good game against Texas A&M in the Liberty Bowl at 2 p.m. December 29 in Memphis can do nothing, but help him.

“Right now, there’s the bowl game. After that, I have the Shrine game. Hopefully, stay as healthy as possible, make it through the Shrine game, then start training for the NFL after that,” Glowinski said.

In many ways his story is similar to that of Kevin White, who is the pro positive prospect the Mountaineers have this season, a record-shattering wide receiver who, like Glowinski, came out of Lackawanna, arriving a year later.

But White was an All-American, Glowinski by nature of his position, and quite frankly, by the large shadow Spain cast of his career, was almost unseen despite standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 312 pounds.

His is a tale of perseverance. A tale that shows that early decisions in life may seem like the direction you want at the time, but that you can change them and accomplish far more than you would believe.

“When I first started in 10th grade I decided I wanted to go to tech school,” Glowinski explained. “I graduated from there, but it kind of set me back. I couldn’t go to Division I because of courses I didn’t take.

“I decided I wanted to go to prep school or junior college, but junior college seemed like the best option, especially when you consider how much it costs.”

So he went to Lackawanna and got noticed.

“I made the best of it and got myself where I need to be,” Glowinski said.

It’s hard, though, to become a top line offensive lineman out of junior college. The weight programs don’t compare, and the coaching isn’t as specialized as is at Division I.

“You don’t have as much being in junior college, but it’s a great stepping stone to push you ahead in fundamentals and all you need to know about college football,” Glowinski said.

So it was, when he first got to WVU he was redshirted, something you don’t expect out of third-year player if you think he has enough talent to grow into an all-conference performer, yet it was crucial to Glowinski’s development.

Two things happened after that redshirt. The first was he was made eligible and the second was Ron Crook came from Stanford as line coach, his mind clear on all players, judging them simply on what he saw before his eyes.

“He looked like what I hoped he would look like — big and powerful looking,” Crook said. “What he hadn’t done was learn everything from a mental standpoint. So there were times in his redshirt year when he wasn’t going in the same direction as everyone else.

“He started to understand the offense more once I got here because he’d been here for a year. Just understanding the offense allows you to play with a lot more confidence, a lot more positive energy.”

That positive energy translates into a physical style of play that characterizes him on the field.

“He wants to play physical on every play,” Crook said. “If you tell him, this is your chance, come off the ball and really get after it. That’s when you see him light up.”

“To me, it’s a feeling I have on the field. I should be doing my best. Being physical gives you a definite advantage over people who are not as physical and it shows what kind of person you are,” Glowinski explained.

The result was seeing himself named to the All-Big 12 team.

Now they notice, even the NFL people.

“A lot of people have talked about him as they come through. They like the way he practices and plays. I think he definitely is going to have a chance to move forward,” Crook said.

Follow Bob Hertzel on Twitter @bhertzel