Where Are They Now? Rubio Long Snapper Tyler Schmitt

For the next installment of “Where Are They Now?” we venture to the back of a camera lens to hear from Rubio Long Snapper Tyler Schmitt. Tyler was a tremendous athlete in high school, dominated at SDSU and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 6th Round (Go Hawks!)

Check out what has been going on with Rubio Long Snapper Tyler Schmitt….

1.  What is your current occupation?  11142232_711004645674731_59132459_n

Professional Landscape Photographer 

2. Where do you live?

La Jolla , CA half of the year, exploring the globe the other half. 

3. Married/ Kids? Single. No kids

4. What is your fondest memory of your time playing college football? 

My fondest memory of playing football is running out of the tunnel at The Big House (Michigan) in front of 110,000 people as a 18 year old freshman. I’ve never been more terrified/excited to play in a game. 

5. If you could give ONE bit of advice to the current Rubio Long Snappers, what would it be?

Train with the linebackers, lift with the lineman, run with the defensive backs. Don’t train like a specialist, you will not grow to your full potential. Be an athlete! Practice mind control, tell yourself you are the best long snapper in the world and that is what you will become. 

6. If you could give ONE bit of advice to the current Rubio Long Snapping PARENTS, what would it be? 

Support your son’s dreams, whatever they may be. They have been put in his heart for a reason. If that means being a long snapper then great, if that means taking a break from football to pursue another deep rooted dream then so be it. I see a lot of parents these days forcing their own childhood dreams on their kids, this works in the opposite way as they would like it too. Thank you in advance for supporting your sons desire to be the best long snapper he can be. 

7. When was the last time you snapped a ball and for what reason? Schmitt_Tyler

A few months ago giving a private lesson. Partially to show the young gentleman an example of what I was talking about, but mostly to make sure I still had it in me. 😉 

 8.   If you could go back and play football in college again, would you go to the same school or a different one? Why? 

I wouldn’t change my college experience for the world. Being a long snapper at San Diego State is truly one of the best jobs on planet earth. We have quite a nice streak of Rubio long snappers continuing on to the NFL, and we plan on extending it next year. 

 9. Any regrets during college? Something you wish you had done or maybe hadn’t?

I have no regrets during my college football career. I do wish however I would have taken care of my body and mind better. Clean eating is such an important role in maintaining a healthy career. I learned this late in my career during my short time in the NFL. Athletes spend years tearing down their body with weightlifting and practice, but rarely learn how to build back up their body (through massage, stretching, yoga, meditation) until they learn from NFL veterans. 

10.   What tremendous thing have you been a part of or experienced since you graduated? 

Since I graduated college I have had the opportunity to be drafted in the 6th round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks.  More importantly I am now pursuing a dream of sharing my photography with the world. You can check out my work at Instagram – @tyschmitt or www.tyschmitt.com (VERY WORTH CHECKING OUT!)

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Rubio Long Snapper Overbaugh Wins Academic Award

Overbaugh, JeffRubio Long Snapper Jeff Overbaugh has been honored with the President’s Award from San Diego St. for his high academic achievement.

The junior Psychology major carries a cumulative 3.72 GPA and is scheduled to finish his undergraduate degree before his fourth year of school.

Overbaugh will be heading into his fourth year with the Aztecs and has been the starter for the last three years. He took over for Rubio Long Snapper Aaron Brewer (Broncos) who took over for Rubio Long Snapper Tyler Schmitt (Seahawks).

Congratulations to Overbaugh and his family. You will be able to meet Overbaugh at VEGAS XXV where he will be one of the instructors.
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Advice for Current College Athletes from Former College & Pro Athletes

Last week, I posted a blog that was current college freshman Long Snappers giving advice to incoming college freshman Long Snappers. It was great to read and, hopefully, gave some insight to the next batch of dominant college Long Snappers.

I decided to take it a step further and asked several of my former college Long Snappers if they have any advice they would like to give to the current batch of college Long Snappers. There is some absolutely terrific bits of wisdom here and well worth reading.

Here is what they had to offer up…

Justin Drescher – Colorado/New Orleans Saints “Enjoy all aspects of college and be a well rounded individual by the end of your time, because it only lasts 4-5 years! Its a short period of your life where you get to grow from a boy to young man, so cherish each and every moment no matter the difficulties in Football, Academics and Social life!”

Jason Bertoni – Arizona Choose the people you hangout with wisely, pick people that can help you grow and not hold you back. You will not only be judged for your actions but theirs as well.

Jeff Palmer – University of Oregon Embrace the grind with as many classes and tutors as early on as possible in your career so that you can enjoy your experience later in your career. Have fun early on but embrace the grind and accept the heavy workload because it will be rewarding to be an older leader on your team taking fun elective classes, having the younger guys on your team asking you for advice, and having more spare time to start preparing for your future (whether its training for the NFL or networking to find a job).

Tanner Gibas – University of Kansas “Make sure you make friends and get involved in as many things outside of football as possible. You never know when your last play is.”

Brandon Long – Rice University “Best thing you can do is get in with the O-line and avoid being seen as a kicker. Makes life easier. Also, have fun and don’t put added pressure on yourself, everything in athletics is a mind game at some point.”

Carson Tinker – University of Alabama “Know that you aren’t as athletic as everyone but work like you are”

 John Finch – Purdue “Realize that you are on the team to do one job and don’t expect any respect or gratitude from anyone until you perform on the field on Saturdays. No one owes you anything. Show up and do your job.”

Neal Dahlman – Bowling GreenKeep education number one, maintain a high GPA. There is life after football. As far as football, treat everyday like an interview, there is always someone out there working just as hard or harder than you. Continue improving to earn or keep your spot, never be complacent.”

 Tom Harrington – Western Michigan “Don’t let a coach change anything that they do.  A lot of times coaches want a snapper to change something in their form or the way they snap.  Do what got you to college and continue to work at that.  Most college special teams coaches has no idea about long snapping and how to teach someone.  I know it’s hard to tell your coach no but if its in your best interest then do it.”

Casey Hales – Duke “Take a minute and reflect on the 1st dream you had about being a long snapper in college. What did that dream look like? What did you look forward to most about playing in college? Now, take a moment and think about how that dream has changed or stayed the same.  Are you doing all you can to maximize what you want out of your experience? My advice, take a hard look at how you spend your time. Make the most out of your situation. Take advantage of all the resources around you to make your college football experience the best it can be. Work with Rubio! Spend time with your strength and conditioning coaches, nutritionists, and your academic support staff. You are living the dream right now, be grateful you are where you are and EMBRACE.”

Kevin Ballinger – Purdue “Keep working and have fun. You’re in a very unique position of playing at a high level without people noticing you. Take advantage of every opportunity a regular student does not get. Every student at your school would kill to be in your position. Secondly, work hard. The guys behind you who aren’t playing are working to take your spot. Finch is one of my best friends but my goal everyday was to take his spot on the field. Work so hard that the coaches have no choice but to play you. Have fun when it’s time to have fun, work hard when it’s time to work hard.” 

Tyler Schmitt – San Diego St./ Seattle Seahawks “My biggest piece of advice to a college snapper would be to think/ and train like you are a linebacker. Because on punt, you are a linebacker. Your NOT a kicker! Whether its running with the team in the morning, weightlifting, film ect. you need to train like a position player. Not only will you gain respect from other teammates, but your snapping will improve. The biggest advantage will be making tackles, which in a such a competitive position these days, is crucial.”

Evan Jacobsen – New Mexico Always try to perfect your art. You are there to snap so do it correctly. Our season never ends. Challenge yourself. Make your target smaller and smaller each time. Push yourself conditioning and weight room wise. Try to be the strongest player on the team. Always practice blocking because you never know what scheme you will run next year (I changed 4 times). In short, always push yourself and always get better. DO NOT PLATEAU. Do not be satisfied and watch film and critique yourself. Always try and improve. Listen to Rubio.

Zach Nolan – Stanford “Basically, every day is a chance to make an improvement, no matter how big or how small.  It’s a simple idea, but it’s something that really changed my outlook when I really started to think about it.  Everyone’s goal is always to be perfect.  Unfortunately, perfection is something that we can never truly attain.  There are so many things that we need and want to get better at, but if each day you set a goal that you’re going to pick one area that you hope to improve upon and put forth all your effort into that one aspect of your life (whether it’s on the field or off), you can get closer and closer to achieving perfection.  I believe every day is an unbelievable opportunity, and it’s up to you whether you take advantage of that opportunity or let it slip away.”

Mike Zupancic – Eastern Michigan “Never get complacent, if you want to be the best you must constantly work on your weaknesses. Every challenge that you face, bad weather or tough block, use it as an opportunity to become the best.”

Brendan Lopez – Washington Embrace the reality that one day you won’t play football anymore.  Every player has to come to terms with this and the sooner you do it the more successful you will be in the future. Thinking about the future can be very uncomfortable but having a plan and a goal in mind early on is better then trying to figure something out once you get there.  Don’t let playing football deter you from pursuing a career you might think is out of reach.  Apply to the business school, take organic chemistry, strive to be a doctor or an entrepreneur.  Playing football will only enhance these goals because every time you say “I play college football” you will automatically have a leg up on the other guy who didn’t.  Always have a goal and never settle for where you are today.” 

Corey Gibas – Texas A&MI have two pieces of Advice for current long snappers. School/Academics- Use all the resources your school and your athletic department provides for you. You have a busy schedule to maintain so lessen your stress level with the help provided. Get all your hard core curriculum classes out of the way so your junior and senior years are easy. Football- Cherish every moment you have left on and off the field. It’s not going to be the practices, workouts, or meetings your going to miss. Once you have ended your career you will miss the locker room, team functions, game day, traveling for away games, and your teammates. Those are the things your going to miss the most so cherish each moment. Take pictures so you can look back at this awesome moment of your life. Also share with people that did not get the opportunity you have received. Give back to the game as well. It’s treated you well during your life time so give back to it in anyway possible. Stay humble and never quit.

Corey Adams – Kansas St. Our very first team meeting in training camp, our coach asked the seniors to get up and say something to the younger players. The first person to stand up was the most respected senior (Jordy Nelson) and the room when completely silent. He was one of the people who let his actions speak louder than his words, so hearing him speak in front of the whole team was rare. The thing he said was “Freshmen, don’t rush to get out of here. Slow down and enjoy every minute with your friends, teammates and brothers. After this, whether you play professionally or get a job in the real world, everything becomes a business. You won’t ever have an atmosphere like this, where you are with your best friends every single day of the week, all working together towards the same goal with the same purpose in mind.” At the time, I was a freshmen thinking I knew everything in the world. I heard what he was saying, but didn’t really listen to his message. Five very short years later, I had been in and out of a couple NFL training camps, and now work as a financial analyst. I quickly realized what Jordy had said at my first ever team meeting in college was dead on. You may be on another team, either in the NFL or corporate world, but you don’t have the bond you have with your teammates in college. They start out as strangers, but quickly turn into lifelong friends.”

PJ Tobyansen – UCLA “The one bit of advice i would like to give to a current college Long Snapper is – enjoying the dedication to preparation. What I mean by that is of course every college longsnapper is dedicated to his craft of Long Snapping. But to understand truly why you are doing things, and to truly enjoy the process will carry these habits latter on in life – to make you truly successful weather you go pro in the NFL or pro in something else. Today I work in the movie business for Marvel – currently working on Iron Man 3. I would not be where I am today without the lessons Rubio taught me, and enjoying the dedication to preparation. As Rubio always says -Taking the time to do things properly – quality reps over quantity.  Practicing, staying late so you truly know the in and outs of your assignments or task.  Muscle memory – doing things the RIGHT WAY over and over and over so when it comes time to shine in a crunch situation you know that you are truly prepared and can truly enjoy the moment.(YOU DONT HAVE TO THINK) If you truly understand this and enjoy this and practice these keys. It will  truly make you successful and let you rise quicker in your career or later in life. Like today working at Marvel people always say I cant believe how young you are. well I owe my success to those hobbits I learned while long snapping in college and truly enjoying my dedication to my preparation. It works! If you dont enjoy it why do it? Only you can make things work. always enjoy what you are doing. Always have a smile on your face, enjoy the moment. (and you can because you do not have to think if you are ready or not)” 

Best of the Best

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Chris-Rubio-2Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world. Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 12 years, Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 300 Long Snappers earning FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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Rubio Long Snapper Tyler Schmitt Doing Great Things

If you have been involved with Rubio Long Snapping since it’s inception, you know the name Tyler Schmitt.

Tyler is one of the original Rubio Long Snappers and, quite possibly, the greatest one to come through the ranks. Tyler is a 2004 graduate that went on to play his college ball at San Diego St. He was dominant there and was drafted, yes drafted, by the Seattle Seahawks! Tyler was an extremely athletic Long Snapper that is known for mind-boggling speed. He still holds, to this day, the fastest snap I have ever timed personally…..a .53 at 15 yards!!!! That is not a typo and you know how strict I am with my timing. If you ever saw Tyler snap in person, it was a spectacle.

Needless to say, Tyler ended up injuring his back with the Seahawks and had to hang up his cleats. It was a sad day for all. But, when one door closes, another opens….and this one opened up to a whole new world for Tyler.

Tyler is now a professional photographer that is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. He captures some of the most amazing images I have ever seen and doing a great thing with his talent. According to his website and Facebook page,

Ty Schmitt is a former NFL long snapper who sells Landscape photography to help support current and former military families. For every print sold Ty donates 50% of his earnings to help those who make the ultimate sacrifice.”

Below are just a couple of his photos and I highly recommend you check out his images. They are truly remarkable and, obviously, help out a TERRIFIC cause.

Beyond FULL embrace to Rubio Long Snapper Tyler Schmitt!
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_________________________________________________________________

Chris-Rubio-2Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world. Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 12 years, Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 300 Long Snappers earning FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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Q and A with Rubio

Q: Who is the fastest Long Snapper you have ever worked with?
A: Tyler Schmitt of San Diego State and then the Seattle Seahawks. Timed him once at .53  – translates to about 45 mph!!!


Q: Should I be looking for a girlfriend right now?
A: Absolutely NOT! Wait until March. No need to get crazy with Christmas and Valentine’s Day right around the corner.

Q: If you are so opposed to kickers and your business partner, Sailer is a kicker, how do you work with him?
A: Simple. He doesn’t act like a kicker.

Q: What was your SAT score?
A: Good enough to get into UCLA:)

Q: What was your first car?
A: 1984 Honda Prelude and it was a piece. No radio. Something rattled in the trunk and I couldn’t fit in it unless the sunroof was open. Side note: I still embraced.

Q: Have you ever looked at a Long Snapper and immediately knew they would get a scholarship?
A: Yup and it happens at least once a year. Right now there are a couple out there but I won’t say who. The funny part is that most of them are nothing special in the beginning. There is just something I can see right away. Hard to explain. One particular was Mike Zupancic of Eastern Michigan (Side Note: he just won the Special Teams MVP of his team).

Q: Did you live with football players in college?
A: Yes and a couple paparazzi’s (seriously) named Buzzard and Dirty Dom.

Q: Who would win in a fight, your grandmother Macaw or your uncle that yelled at you for only making one sandwich
A: Easy answer. Macaw would crush Uncle Jim. She is much dirtier. She spits on the rules, the law and eventually her enemies grave.

Q: Why don’t more Long Snappers excel?
A: Lazy. Like I always say, being a great Long Snapper doesn’t take just hard work, it takes working right and hard.

Q: What is your opinion on a girl that comes up to me and knows about Long Snapping?
A: Propose

Q: Which Long Snapper that you have worked with has improved the most over time?
A: Tough as there have been a ton. One that I could show you examples of would be Taybor Pepper .  You’re welcome America:)

 


 


Q: What is the name of the shoulder pads for Long Snappers?
A: Douglas Snapper Pads.

Bless the heart of the person
that invented these gems

Q: Who was the first Long Snapper you ever worked with?
A: Casey Hales. Amazing story. Tiny surfer kid (currently holds the record for saying the most “bros” and “dudes” in a 24 hour span). He was a true student of Long Snapping. Worked his tail off and actually holds the record for most starts at Duke!

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Pizza and THIS place has the best I have ever devoured.

Q: What are a couple things that can really crush a Long Snapper?
A: Bad attitude and a lack of confidence.

Q: My girlfriend stole my Rubio Long Snapping shirt…what should I do?
A: Winners and losers my friend, and you just lost…while she won.

Q: How much football do you watch?
A: Barely any. I Tivo games and fast forward to the snaps. Kid you not, I had not watched one play of the guy (not a snapper means I don’t remember his name) that just won the Heisman. Sailer actually makes fun of me since I don’t know any players or stats (and I don’t care). I know the college and pro Long Snappers. Others don’t matter to me.

Q: Who is the toughest Long Snapper you have worked with?
A: Tough one. Rubio Long Snapper Carson Tinker of Alabama is a solid choice as he has overcome a ton this past year but I am going to go with Rubio Long Snapper Scott Shockley. Scott is a 2012 Long Snapper from GA that, one year ago, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma. He has gone through MANY surgeries in one short year and is continuing to go head to head with chemo. Kid came straight from the hospital to my GA camp this weekend to say hello to me and the guys. He is a soldier and everyone needs to keep him in their thoughts.

Next time you feel like complaining, 
think of Shockley


Q: Would you rather be a great Long Snapper or a great person?
A: Great person. Without a doubt. Many years down the road, no one will care how fast you snapped, how well you blocked or just how accurate you were. They won’t care how high you scored on The Target. They won’t care how much you dominated someone else. They will care how you handled your success. They will care about your demeanor and your overall attitude. They will care about what type of person you were and are. They will care how you treat them and others.

The snapping will fade, being a great person will not.

(Click HERE to have me read you this blog)

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Chris-Rubio-2Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world. Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 12 years, Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 300 Long Snappers earning FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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