MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Steve Poland was already looking a good ways into the future.
“For me, it started back in middle school when my dad told me, ‘The easiest way to play in college is to be a long-snapper,’ ” Kyle Poland said. “From then on out, I ran with it. My dad and I would always be in our backyard or on a field wherever we could find room to perfect the craft as I like to say.”
Even then, it was likely unimaginable how it would work out for Poland. After his high school career with the Mohigans, he walked on to the WVU football team as a long-snapper, worked for four years, finally got an opportunity as a senior and is working toward a chance to play in the NFL.
One of the most unheralded positions in football, many don’t even know the long-snapper’s name unless something goes awry. This season with the Mountaineers, Poland’s name wasn’t called often, which means he did his job and did it well.
It was done well enough to earn an invite to the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl — an chance to speak with pro scouts and learn about what it takes to play at the next level.
“The NFLPA invite was out of the blue,” Poland said. “I came out of practice and saw that I received an email that ended up being an invite to the NFLPA bowl. It’s normally played in the Rose Bowl in California, but with everything going on (with COVID-19), it’s going to be virtual this year. It’s going to be a two-day event where I’ll have the opportunity to talk with scouts, current players and also representatives from the NFLPA. It’s a great way to get exposure with scouts at the next level, and also learn more about the Players Association.”
Poland played with several teammates who got shots at the NFL, including Nick Meadows in 2016-17 and Rex Sunahara from 2018-19. Sunahara, who Poland said he talks to every day, is currently handling the long-snapping duties for the Miami Dolphins.
With 32 teams in the NFL and the XFL on a hiatus expected to end in 2022, long-snapping jobs are scarce and competitive.
“Each team only carries one on the 53-man roster. What I’m seeing now is that some NFL teams are picking up long-snappers on their practice squads, and that’s the situation Rex is in right now,” Poland said. “I have thought about other leagues, but my main focus is the NFL becuase I know I have the ability to compete for a position on some of these teams.”
And if you’re Poland, why not aim high? While goals were set in middle school, his physical stature didn’t quite match the standard to play in the trenches of high school football, let alone college. Then-MHS football coach John Bowers previously told The Dominion Post that Poland changed his eating habits and workouts to bulk up considerably while he played for the Mohigans.
While being dedicated to his craft, Poland earned a preferred walk-on position at WVU as a long-snapper, realizing one goal. Working through a coaching change after his redshirt-sophomore year, Poland impressed WVU coach Neal Brown enough to earn a scholarship ahead of the 2020 season.
“I think he’s a great representative of our program,” Brown said in September. “I think it’s tremendous that he’s from right here in Morgantown. I think he gives a lot of kids (hope) who are my son’s age and older that grow up here and play in the youth leagues, and then play in the big stadium. It’s the dream for a lot of people in this community and in this state.”
Echoing his head coach, Poland knows he lived something many grow up dreaming about.
“It’s been so surreal and such a blessing. Growing up here and coming to all the games as a kid, this was my dream,” he said. “Being able to accomplish all of these things is just unbelievable, and being a hometown boy allows me to be an influence on kids in the community who have the same dream that I did. I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to compete at the highest level of college football, and to now having the opportunity to compete at the highest level possible. 2020 was a crazy year to say the least, but it was for sure a year that I’ll never forget.”
With the NCAA’s decision to freeze eligibility, Poland could return in 2021, but big changes are on the horizon for Poland and his wife, Katie. It was decided it was best to move on to the next step.
“I’m grateful for the opportunities that coach Brown and his staff have given me to excel at the highest level of college football,” he said. “Throughout this process, I was able to complete my undergrad in sports management and will be graduating with my master’s in May. With that being said, it took a lot of talking with my wife and family to decide that it was time for me to move on. As most people know, my wife and I are expecting our first child on March 12, and with that obviously comes a lot more responsibility.
“I feel like I have the ability to compete at the next level right now, and it would also allow for me to provide for my family.”
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