MSU 2021 Commit: Michael Donovan Perseveres For The Long Haul
“Right after I got off the phone, I said I’m 100% committing here. I told my family and then called two hours after and said, ‘Coach, I’m 100% committed,’” Michigan State commit, Michael Donovan said.
Donovan’s recruiting process was tough. The 2021 long snapper didn’t receive an offer until April.
“I kept seeing kids getting offers and was like where’s my offer? I started getting less patient. I stayed motivated, kept putting out film on Twitter, kept reaching out to coaches,” Donovan said.
He didn’t quit. Even when he started losing patience.
“I started snapping my sophomore year for JV, but I didn’t take it seriously. Then my dad said if I wanted to play college football I should probably start getting into long snapping. I started snapping with a former UofM snapper. He was my private coach for a little. I went to a couple camps at Rubio, got ranked, and I wanted to get my ranking up. So, I went to more camps. I worked when no one was watching. I worked really hard for this. It was really sweet to getting to No.1 at the end,” Donovan said.
He persevered to being the No.1 long snapper in Michigan.
“It was a tough process,” Donovan said.
Donovan has persevered his whole life; through a childhood that wasn’t ‘normal’.
“I’ve gone through a lot growing up. I have an autistic sister who’s a year older than me. That wasn’t easy growing up. I don’t think I would’ve learned and grown as a person if I just had a normal childhood, but I definitely learned some things from my sister and am definitely glad things worked out the way they happened. My sister always had a smile on her face, even when it was a tough situation. I always try to get out of a situation staying positive. That’s where I learned grit and perseverance was through my sister,” Donovan said.
What he learned from his sister led to persevering through his own personal challenge.
“I got diagnosed with a skin condition a couple years ago called, Vitiligo. When I first got that, it was tough. I feel like I always have perseverance and fight through tough situations. When I first got my skin condition, I didn’t know what people were going to say and I was trying to hide it. But I knew there were better days ahead and decided not to care what anyone thinks,” Donovan said.
That’s what he does when he gets on the field. He fights through.
“I’m not going there to sit on the bench. I’m going to compete; I’ll do what the coaches want me to do,” Donovan said. “There’s always better things ahead. I don’t think I’ll settle for anything. I’ll always do what’s best for me, like Michigan State. I knew it was the best decision for me.”
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