BUFFALO, N.Y. — Andrew Kerwin doesn't have the playing history of most Division-I football players. He started playing as a freshman at Canisius, years after typical players cut their teeth with Pop Warner or Pee Wee ball.

What You Need To Know

  • Andrew Kerwin, a senior lineman at Canisius High School, committed to UB earlier this month
  • Kerwin hasn't played a down in 14 months, since the Crusaders won the Catholic state title in November 2019
  • Despite losing the fall season, Kerwin still earned a preferred walk-on offer from UB and gained 30 pounds of muscle in one offseason
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He's made up for it by living in the weight room, going five times a week since his last season wrapped up 14 months ago.

"The workouts were about two hours," he says. "It was really early, like 5 a.m. And then sometimes at night, as late as 9 p.m. or 10."

Andrew's last game was the Catholic state title game in November 2019, a dramatic win that pushed him to train hard ahead of his senior season.

"When we won the state championship last year, it was the best feeling I ever felt," he says. "I want to continue that feeling everywhere I go, no matter where it is."

When COVID-19 first hit and people needed to quarantine, Andrew refused to spend that time sitting on his couch. He immersed himself in a weightlifting program and added 30 pounds of muscle onto his frame, impressing coaches that were accustomed to a skinnier lineman.

"I made smarter choices with what I ate. I ate a lot more protein," he says. "I took supplements such as creatine to give me more ability to lift more weight and put on more muscle."

Andrew spoke with some Ivy-League football programs and the University at Buffalo, sending along videos of his weightlifting and techniques. He felt that UB was a better fit, and once they offered him as a preferred walk-on, Andrew pounced on it, and credited the Canisius program for putting him in a great position.

"I can’t give any credit more than to my coaches. Coach Robbins, Coach Lueck, Coach Gorman, all the guys that have mentored me and told me to keep going, no matter what. No matter the failures, the setbacks, they just kept me going and coached me to the best person I could be."