FOOTBALL: Wellman Emerging As One Of The GLIAC's Best Offensive Lineman

BIG RAPIDS – Ferris State University's Matt Wellman, slowly but surely, has worked hard to become one of the better offensive linemen in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The 6-foot-4 and 280-pound offensive tackle, a native of Portland, earned All-GLIAC honorable mention honors last fall as one of his unit’s chief protectors. But, for any and all individual accolades that might fall his way, Wellman is focused less on that and more on ways he can help his team defy the odds and perform better than their seventh-place projection in the preseason GLIAC Coaches Poll indicates.

“It really doesn’t matter to us what other people are thinking about us,” Wellman (pictured right) said as the team hosted its annual Media Day at Top Taggart Field on Friday afternoon. “We’re not too concerned about all that. It’s about us and it’s about us going out every day and doing the things that we need to do to be successful as a football team. It’s a matter of us going out and showing that we have worked hard and showing people that we can play.”

Fall season success, oftentimes, is a product of hard work during the winter workouts, in spring practice and throughout the summer. Wellman believes the Bulldogs showed a commitment during all three periods, and he is hopeful that hard work will pay off, beginning Aug. 29 when they host Tiffin in the season opener.

“I think it’s been a really easy transition for us coming into this preseason and getting ready for our opener,” said Wellman, one part of an experienced offensive line that returns with the likes of guard Joe Doman, center Scott Shattuck, tackle Brad Bammert and others. “We had a lot of guys who stayed up here all summer and really put in a lot of hard work to get ready for (training camp). We know what the polls say, but we have high expectations for our team and we have guys who are working on living up to those high expectations.”

A two-year starter for the Bulldogs, Wellman has progressed to this point by not only pushing his body to its limits, but also by paying attention and understanding the mental aspect of being a high-quality college football player.

“The biggest thing I try to do is to learn as best I can by paying attention to all of the little things we’re working on and to pay attention to the things the coaches are saying to us … things that are going to help us get better as players,” said Wellman, who was Ferris’ Most Valuable Offensive Lineman last season. “We’ve had some tough years the last couple of seasons, but I wouldn’t trade this experience playing college football for Ferris State University for anything.

“The opportunity I’ve had here has been great and I am looking forward to doing some great things this season.”