As you know from THIS blog, a Long Snapper is recruited either as a full scholarship athlete, a preferred walk-on or just a walk on. They are all very different.
A long time Rubio Long Snapping parent, Mike Frese (older son, Nolan, is starting on scholarship at the University of Houston, after being a preferred walk-on and his younger son, Jordan, will be a preferred walk-on at Texas A&M this fall) sent me some questions that his sons used during the recruiting process and asked me if I would like to share them with other parents and Long Snappers. They are great, so I am and I will even give some insight on each.
1. Who is on the roster that snaps (besides starter ________) Do any position players snap? What year are they, are they on scholarship? Is ________ on scholarship? This is a great starter question as it shows you are serious and want to know who your competition is. If other position players do snap, watch them and see how much they actually do. If they RARELY do it, don’t worry as they won’t be ready.
2. Will I be on the 105? The 105 (you should know this if you read the other blog that I already linked to!) is the number of athletes they can bring in the first wave (think the first day of Hell Week). If you are on this, that is a very good sign. If you are not, might be a code red.
3. How many LS make travel team? They will usually take two. If they have someone that can get the ball back there that plays another position, they may only take one as this guy can fill in if all hell breaks loose during a game. (Head’s Up to Coaches – THIS PLAN DOESN’T WORK!)
4. If I’m on 2 deep but not starting (redshirt) would I still travel? See answer to #3
5. Are you recruiting any other LS for this year? They may or may not be honest with you on this one. Odds are they will take two preferred walk-ons and let you battle for the spot. Why not? It would be like having two hot, girls who are paying for the date fight to see who gets you. Win, win.
6. Will the program assist in my application & enrollment? This should be a definite YES! If it is not, they most likely aren’t too into you.
7. Housing? Food? Parking? What will it cost my parents? Any differences between for walk-ons from scholarship players? A scholarship player shouldn’t have to pay a thing while the preferred walk-on will have to cover it all. What you are essentially asking in this question is, as a preferred walk-on, would you be able to pay to eat with the team at training table, live with the team in the same dorms and get the same parking as the athletes on full scholarship.
8. How soon can I be on scholarship when I earn starting job? (Best & worst case scenarios) Best, right away and this is why you will start to hear the term “NON-RECRUITED WALK-ON.” If you hear this, it means they want to be able to put on scholarship ASAP once you start (think within days) while if you are a “RECRUITED WALK-ON” you will most likely have to wait until next quarter, semester or school year. Usually, if you start the whole season, you get it right after and if you are coming in after the starter graduates in the fall, they will usually run you through the gauntlet in Spring Ball to see if you can handle the pressure and deserve it.
9. When do u need me to decide/commit? When I decide, what are the next steps in the process? This should be your basic stuff….stop taking trips to schools, be proud of your commitment, get ready to start working hard (they will usually send you workout plan)
10. When are spring practices? Can I come watch one? If they say no, they don’t like you…AT ALL.
11. When will summer school start (summer workouts). Do you want me then? You want them to say yes and you should definitely go. It will show you are dedicated and determined.
Hope this helps and feel free to comment below if you have any other questions.
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