Recruiting – Page 16

Rubio Long Snapper Trey Lamastus commits to the University of Alabama at Birmingham!

December 10, 2012 By Rubio

Long time Rubio Long Snapper and TOP 12er Trey Lamastus (LA, ’13) has committed to the UAB as a preferred walk-on!

Lamastus is known for his incredible drive, always improving and terrific flowing hair. He is built well, has a solid frame and is expected to start his first year on campus.

When I was notified of his commitment, Lamastus said to me “Thank you for everything. Without you I wouldn’t even know how to pick up a ball. Thanks Rubio. Really wouldn’t know where I’d be without you right now. Not even as a snapper but a person also. You’ve always been there for me!!”

Love it…absolutely love it!

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Rubio 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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Filed Under: Article Archives, College, Deep Snapper, Exposure, Football, High School, Long Snapper, Motivation, N.C.A.A., Recruiting Tagged With: Chris Rubio, college recruiting, deep snap, deep snapper, deep snapping, deepsnap, deepsnapper, deepsnapping, football recruiting, Long Snap, long snapper, long snappers, long snapping, LongSnap, longsnapp, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, Louisiana Long Snapper, national recruits, nationally ranked long snapper, Rubio long snapping, Trey Lamastus, UAB, UAB Football, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Look for Chase Dominguez to Excel at the Next Level!

December 10, 2012 By Rubio

Rubio Long snapper Chase Dominguez recently earned a scholarship to play football at the University of Utah to become their Long Snapper. As far as Rubio Long Snapping goes, Dominguez is virtually flawless in all aspects of the position. Chase is long and athletic and has the frame to become a fantastic blocker. Chase is smooth under pressure, concentrating on the mechanics of snapping in the toughest situations. There is no doubt that Dominguez will be a huge asset to the University of Utah’s college football program as a Long Snapper, as long as he stays healthy and continues to practice. His size, intelligence and talent makes him a player to watch in the future.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Athlete, College, Deep Snapper, Exposure, High School, Long Snapper, Motivation, N.C.A.A., Recruiting, scholarship Tagged With: Chase Domingez, Chris Rubio, college recruiting, deep snap, deep snapper, deep snapping, deepsnap, deepsnapper, deepsnapping, football recruiting, Long Snap, long snapper, long snappers, long snapping, Long Snapping Scholarship, LongSnap, longsnapp, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, Rubio long snapping, Scholarship, University of Utah, Utah, Utah Football

Rubio Long Snapper Picks up Full Scholarship!

December 4, 2012 By Rubio

Brendan Turelli of Arizona, Rubio Long Snapping class of 2013, has just been awarded a full scholarship from the University of Wyoming. He is a 5 star Long Snapper and Two-Time Top 12er!

Update: Brendan has committed to Wyoming!!! Congratulations to him and his family.

Here’s an excerpt of what’s being said about him:

Turelli is a machine. Very nonchalant when he snaps, but that is because he can be. Kid snaps bullets that are smooth and never misses. Lefty that has tremendous zip on the ball. Ball just appears in your hands. Love to watch him snap. Moves very well on his feet for his size. Really can be a threat in coverage. Handles pressure very well. Sure fire scholarship kid.

Want to read more about Brendan? Take a moment and follow this link to his Player Ranking for 2013.

And while you are here, take a look at some of Brendan’s snapping skills!

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Filed Under: Admissions, Article Archives, Athlete, College, Deep Snapper, Exposure, Long Snapper, Motivation, N.C.A.A., Recruiting, TOP 12 Tagged With: Arizona Long Snapper, Brendan Turelli, Chris Rubio, college admissions, deep snapper, long snapper, Long Snapping Scholarship, nationally ranked long snapper, Rubio long snapping, Scholarship, scholarship athlete, TOP 12, University of Wyoming, Wyoming, Wyoming Football

Q & A about High School Football Recruiting

November 29, 2012 By Rubio

As soon as the football season begins to come to an end, questions start to really creep into a recruit, and their parents’, heads. To begin, if you are a Long Snapper, it is still very early in the recruiting process. Many things can happen from now until you actually step foot on a college campus to start your career. Here are some top questions I am getting through email, text, Twitter, Facebook and even Instagram.

1. Is it me or has recruiting been slow this Fall?
– You are correct and it (recruiting) is always slow in the fall. I call it the “First Thing’s First” period of time. College coaches are obviously coaching during the football season and they are spending a massive amount of time doing so with their current team. Up until about late November, they are more worried about what their current team is doing instead of what their future team will be doing. Therefore, when late November rolls around, most coaches have a pretty good idea whether or not their current team is phenomenal or if their current team is pretty much out of the picture and they can start recruiting next year’s crop of talent. Bottom line, if you are a solid recruit, get ready for a wild ride.

2. Should I transfer since my coach just got fired for not winning?
– Absolutely not! I know you didn’t choose your school based on the coach, so that shouldn’t even matter. Unless you have a massive issue (think Penn St.), you will have to sit out a year and won’t be able to play right away. Therefore, you are asking a future school to pick you up, scholarship you and wait. All the while, when they most likely already have a current athlete on scholarship within your position. Coaches are not into “burning” two scholarships on the same position, especially for a specialist. Think about it, would you pay for a car that you aren’t using? Didn’t think so and neither would the coaches.

3. I have several schools that are recruiting me now and I know many others will be coming on board, should I apply to all of them since application deadlines are right around the corner?
– Absolutely not UNLESS you are CERTAIN you can get in on your own academically and without athletic assistance. It is easier for a school to recruit you later in the process, even after the application deadline, and get you into school IF you have not already been denied admittance. If you have already been denied, they have to pull some MAJOR strings to get you in and they hate doing that unless you’re the stud of all studs.

4. Is it a problem if a school starts to recruit me after the application deadline and I didn’t apply to their school?
– Nope. It doesn’t matter. They (the coach) will literally walk your application to the admissions office and have it expedited through the process. The whole operation can easily take less than a day.

5. If a coach wants my film, how should I get it to him? DVD or online?
– A couple years ago, I would have said both, but today, I am heavily leaning towards simply online. Online is faster, quicker, it won’t get lost, they don’t have to carry it and they can see it anywhere, immediately, if they have their cell or iPad (which is everywhere they are). And, when creating your online highlight tape, be sure to use YouTube and not any other video sharing services. I continue to hear coaches say they only want YouTube since there is NEVER a problem with it’s service.

Click HERE to have this blog read to you.

Bryce Haynes of Ohio St. signing his letter of intent
after a long and rewarding recruiting process.

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Filed Under: Admissions, Article Archives, Ask Rubio, Athlete, Athletics, Coaches, College, Deep Snapper, Eligibility, Football, High School, N.C.A.A., Recruiting, Transfer, YouTube Tagged With: athletic, Bryce Haynes, Chris Rubio, coaches, college admissions, college recruiting, deep snapper, eligibility, football recruiting, high school, long snapper, long snappers, long snapping, national recruits, national scouts, NCAA, recruiting season, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping, transferring, YouTube

Making Sure You Are Ready for College

October 30, 2012 By Rubio

I recently posted a blog about being a freshman that spoke about how to handle yourself in the first year of college. After speaking to college coaches and national sports writers, I felt that I better write a new blog about actually making sure you are ready to graduate high school first, in order to be that freshman.

GO SPEAK TO YOUR COUNSELOR
One of the biggest issues high school students have is believing they can get into a specific college simply because they are graduating from high school. There is nothing that can be farther from the truth. You actually can graduate from high school, even with honors, and still not get into specific schools. You MUST make sure your counselor knows which particular schools you are interested in so you are able to plan to take the specific classes that each school requires. If they (your counselor) brushes you off and gives you a “trust me, you are definitely on course to graduate” type of answer, you need to insist they double check that you have the right classes for the school(s) you are shooting for after high school.
For instance, some schools require four years of English or extra Fine Arts classes. Nothing against electives, but imagine if you missed out on getting into a college simply because you forgot to take an art, cooking or ceramics class? Don’t roll your eyes, I have seen it happen…several times.

TAKE BOTH THE ACT & SAT TESTS
If you are planning on going to college, you know of the SAT and ACT tests. Some regions of the country lean more towards one test over the other. The best advice I can give is to take them both and take them both twice.

Let’s face it, the first time you do anything, you are caught a little off-guard and are not really sure of what you are doing. The first time you take the ACT & SAT is simply to become familiar with it and know what to expect the second time. If you end up doing very well the first time, that’s great! Now, just think how much better you will be able to do the second time.

The reason for taking them both (even though, as I stated, one may be more common in your region of the country) is simple: you may do better on one over the other. True, they are both similar in nature but, for some reason, I have seen many athletes do average on one and dominate the other. For example, I had one athlete that scored approximately 1,900 out of 2,400 on the SAT. Very respectable score but nothing to write home about in the long run. He proceeded to take the ACT and scored an amazing 35 out of 36! People at NASA score in that zone 🙂 Had he not taken both tests, he would never had known how high a score he could have achieved to impress the colleges and make his entry, as an athlete, that much easier.

Rubio Long Snapper Scotty Thompson

made sure he was all set in high school

and earned a full scholarship to NC State

GET CLEARED BY THE NCAA
When you have fully decided that you are headed to college after high school, you want to make sure you register with the NCAA. Once you are registered (not the easiest process but it will pay off in the end) and have shown you are taking the right classes, you will be cleared by the NCAA. Being “cleared” basically means you are now eligible to play sports at the NCAA level (college). It does NOT mean that you necessarily will be admitted to the college of your choice, but it does mean you are eligible to play IF you do get in.

This is huge for coaches and recruiters as it shows that you are ready to go and they won’t have to jump through a ton of hopes in order to get you to play. Think of it as being pre-qualified to buy a car or home.

To cut questions off at the pass, YES, even if you are 100% sure you are attending a JC (Junior College), you should take the ACT, SAT and get cleared by the NCAA in high school. The reason is, if you are cleared, you will be able to leave your JC early without having to stay and complete your A.A. degree. You would be able to enroll at a four year college for Spring Ball instead of having to wait until the Fall to start with the team. This can be huge for recruiting purposes and you don’t want to miss out on any opportunities that may come up for you.

Be sure to spread this blog out to as many high school athletes as possible so they don’t have to miss out on an opportunity and wonder what if?

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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 15 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 1,000 Long Snappers earning full scholarships and preferred walk-on opportunities to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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Filed Under: A.C.T., Athlete, College, Eligibility, Graduating, Graduation, High School, Long Snapper, N.C.A.A., Recruiting, S.A.T. Tagged With: ACT, ACT & SAT, Chris Rubio, Cleared by NCAA, Clearinghouse, college, Counselor, Grades, long snapper, long snapping, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, NCAA, Ready for College, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping, SAT, Scotty Thompson, Speak to Counselor, Steps for College

How to get Exposure as a High School Athlete

October 15, 2012 By Rubio

One of the most common questions I receive is “Rubio, how can I get exposure to the college coaches?” Great question that is easily answered once and for all here….

1. Get yourself to a reputable camp that actually has connections to the colleges.

It is very easy to make a nice looking website and claim things on the website. The problem is that many sites are simply smoke and mirrors with tons of claims and no actual facts. Do your homework, talk to coaches to see who they recommend, check testimonial pages and speak to others that have attended the camp to see if it is worth your time and, more importantly, your hard earned dollar. You should go to a camp because you know it will be good and worth it, not because it might be good and worth it.

2. Make sure your high school coach knows that you are serious about your position and getting to the next level.

Once you have decided that you will stop at nothing to make it to college, you must let your coach know. Tell them that you are going to camps, you work on your position year round and are wiling to do what ever it takes to make your dream a reality. This will impress the coach (as long as you are truly doing what you are saying) and make your name stick in his head when the colleges come knocking on his door. Please note: take your coach’s advice on recruiting to a certain extent. This becomes an issue if a coach pushes someone too high. To clarify, unless your coach is VERY familiar with your particular position, take Long Snapper for instance, don’t rely on his word too much. What this means is that quite often a high school coach will tell a player “You are the best Long Snapper I have ever coached! You are definitely going to college for snapping!” This is fantastic if the coach has actually coached several college Long Snappers. If he hasn’t, you just might be the best of the worst and yet another reason you need to attend quality camps (see #1).

3. Always be in the right place at the right time.

Let’s say you have a top tier running back on your team and college coaches are always on campus to see if he passes the eye ball test at practice. You have essentially hit the jackpot. ANYTIME a college coach is at your practice, you need to MAKE SURE you just happen to showcase your talent in front of them. If you are a Long Snapper, you should just happen to be snapping 15 yard bullets so they can see you. If you are a lineman, you should be working on your stance and steps. Make them notice you. This is your chance, do not let it pass you by simply because you were shy. You don’t want any opportunity to pass you by.

4. Create a YouTube channel.

First of all, I like the YouTube channels over other film sharing services for a couple reasons. A) You don’t need an account to view a YouTube channel and B) YouTube is such a large company there is rarely issues with their server(s). The last thing you want is to send your coach a link and either he can’t access it, it is broken or takes way too long to load. With YouTube, you are relatively safe in these matters.

Creating a YouTube channel for yourself is very easy to do, save you tons of time in the long run and always will give you a base to send coaches to see you and your improvement. To make your own YouTube channel simply…

Go to YouTube. com

Click create a YouTube account. If you already have a gmail account, you can simply use that. If you are starting fresh with this process it literally takes one minute.

Once your account is created, there is blueish profile silhouette of a person in the upper right hand corner…click on it.

A drop down menu will appear….click on MY CHANNEL and then press OK, I’M READY TO CONTINUE

You will now see a very basic version of what your page will look like. You can fluff this up anyway you want and I would recommend a solid action shot of you in uniform to show how great you are in your sport right off the bat.

At the top, just to the left of your name, click on UPLOAD and let the games begin!

You should upload practice and game footage once a week during season and approximately once per month in the off-season. If you are below average at first, that is ok and, don’t erase those videos in the end. Leave them, it shows how much you have improved over time.

5. Associate yourself with a reputable recruiting service.

Similar to #1, there are tons of services out there that create flashy websites and claim tons of things when, in actuality, they just take your money and do nothing for you. You want to find a service that can be a one stop shop for you. They should be able to do research for you about coaches and ways to contact them, send out mass email blasts for you, create a page for you, create a video for you, and have it all go to the right people. If you are true D1 athlete, that is the direction they should send your information. If you are more of a D2-D3 athlete, the majority of your blasts should be sent in that direction. You don’t want to waste your’s or the coach’s time by sending them info if you are not at their level. (Please note: I have encountered many of these companies and one of the best I have seen is NCSA).

6. Create a Twitter account and Facebook page to keep in contact.

Most already have one, if not both, of the above mentioned social media monsters and they should. The NCAA has not banned college coaches from using them yet, so it is a loop hole that should be utilized. When you begin to make contact with coaches/recruiting coordinators, let them see your personality, keep your pages clean (yes, parents feel free to monitor them as well) and be sure to send them links to your newly created YouTube channel.

Follow these six steps and you should get all of the exposure you could ever imagine. Now, the ball is in your court to put all of the exposure you will be getting to good use.

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Filed Under: Athlete, College, Eligibility, Exposure, Facebook, Featured Posts, Graduating, High School, N.C.A.A., Recruiting, S.A.T., Twitter, YouTube Tagged With: Chris Rubio, Exposure, Facebook, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, NCSA, recruiting, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping, Testimonials., Twitter, YouTube

Adjusting to Something New

August 15, 2012 By Rubio

All over the country, Long Snappers are right in the mix of starting their football seasons. They are meeting new people, learning new things and possibly even living in new locations. Many are experiencing the exact same things and don’t even know it. I am going to clarify some glaring issues for all….

“My coach is not the same to me now as he was when he was recruiting me”
Well, of course he isn’t. He got what he wanted (you on the team and not playing for someone else) and you are essentially locked in. He did what he did to get you and now YOU have to prove yourself to HIM. He proved himself to you to get you there and now the rolls are reversed. He is the general and you are his soldier. You have a war coming up (season) and he is using you to do the fighting. He NEEDS to make sure you are ready on all accounts. If you are not, he looks like an idiot for recruiting and playing you. If he looks like an idiot, he gets fired and doesn’t get paid. You are with the big boys now and the stakes are higher. Deal with it.

“The other players are treating me like crap because I am a Long Snapper”
This is standard. You know how many of them think what you do is stupid and anyone can do it? You know how many of them are upset you took a scholarship from either a buddy of theirs or even them personally? You know how many of them can’t stand the fact that you get as much stuff (scholarship, gear, etc) as them, yet don’t have to go through the same type of practice as them? Hint: The answer to all is almost 100% of them.

You need to be yourself and take pride in what you do. Don’t act like just a long snapper, you need to act like THE Long Snapper. Take pride in your job. Don’t look down on it. Don’t publicize it too much (they won’t embrace right off the bat) but let them know (by action) that you take a sincere amount of pride in your job (extra drills, always perfecting your craft). This will pay off once they grasp the concept that you aren’t robbing the system, are actually very beneficial to the team and they won’t be able to win without you.
“I am not ready for the speed at this level!”
Very few are right off the bat. It takes time, you just have to be on a strict learning curve. Think about it this way: often, a team will bring in a top notch quarterback, has that quarterback been absolutely flawless? I am betting he has not. Everyone needs some time to adjust and you will as well. The trick is to putting in some extra work the right way (drills, film, meetings with coaches) to ensure that you are learning to deal with the speed at a quicker pace than others. Being overwhelmed is acceptable at the start . Being overwhelmed and not doing a thing about is not.

“I am having a tough time dealing being away from home and making new friends”
It is time to put on your big boy pants. As I stated in my last blog, if you are obsessing about the past, you can’t live in the present and make your future. It is wonderful to have a ton of friends back home and, with the onslaught of social media, it is easier than ever to remain in contact with them. But, now that you have moved on, and hopefully they have as well, it is time to spread your wings and meet new friends. Welcome to the real world and learning to associate with people outside of your comfort zone. Meet new people, learn new things, embrace differences. A couple of my greatest friends in college were not football players and it was definitely a nice change of pace. Once school starts, the possibilities are endless for meeting new people. Try to jump out of your normal routine to find new folks and see what they are all about. You might just be surprised. Remember, it is not what you know, but who you know and how well you know them:)

I am going to end this blog with some words I took, by permission, from the first Long Snapper I have trained. His name is Casey Hales and he played at Duke back in the day. He looks nothing like a Long Snapper (think surfer that has been sleeping on the beach for a solid decade) but holds the record for most starts at Duke and is an absolutely terrific person. Here is what he had to say about the above statement:

As a freshman in college it’s easy to get frustrated when you’re finding your way in a new environment.Being away from home, in a new state or even across the country can be/is overwhelming at times. You don’t know anyone, you’re doing your best to get around campus, and from time to time you get lost.In this situation it is easy to look back at the comfort and familiarity of your hometown HS relationships and feel even more uncomfortable with the transition to making new friends in College. This is completely natural, but can be a slippery slope if it prohibits you from branching out.
Adapting to college culture right out of high school is a process. Right out the gates you are holding on to what you know: your home life, HS friends and “remembering what that was like.”As you begin to get settled in and embrace college, you start to slowly let go of the times and experiences from HS to make room for new ones in College. This brings up two important topics to keep in mind: Attachment and Detachment. You will always have your friends from HS, but it’s crucial to make sure you’re not too attached to them, it can consume your energy by dwelling on missing those relationships. It is common to feel the bond of attachment to home and all that is dear to you, but keep in mind the the stages of human development. We must be free and able to detach and search for new friends and experiences. Change is happening all the time all around you, and you need to flow with it. The big key here is to be aware of these feelings, and recognize when you are too attached to something or someone that is preventing you from living an independent lifestyle.In this case, a need to detach yourself from the past to embrace the present i.e. College and everything that awaits you.Don’t sit on the sidelines, there are no spectators here, College is about participating and taking advantage of new opportunities. You will be amazed at what learn about yourself during this time.

I spoke with Casey about this topic last week and wanted to use him as an example. Not because he speaks so well and just dominated college life, but just the opposite and this is something very few people in the world know about him. In the second semester of Casey’s second year in college, he came into my home with his mother and told me he was done with football and school at Duke. He was going to transfer and knew exactly how he was going to do it. He couldn’t handle being away and was having a very rough time adjusting to college life and football.

He and I basically had it out right then and there in my home. We went back and forth with me explaining to him exactly what he was about to throw away (free education and new experiences in lieu of paying for education and experiences he already had). He listened and listened well. He decided to stay at Duke and ended not coming back on his allotted time (spring break, summer, etc) because he was having such a good time out there once he learned to accept and embrace it. He dove head first into college and experienced every single thing it had to offer him.

Never ever forget……
You make your life. Good or bad, you are in control of it. You make it what it is and what it will be.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Athlete, Change, College, Freshman, Frosh, Graduating, Long Snapper, Motivation, Recruiting

A Parent’s Role in Recruiting

July 15, 2012 By Rubio

1. Don’t speak to a college coach when they are recruiting your son/daughter.

I have said this one countless times on my Twitter (@TheChrisRubio) and even within this blog, but for some reason, parents still aren’t grasping the concept. The coach will want minimal contact with you. They are recruiting your son or daughter, NOT YOU! Be cordial and answer their questions IF they are addressing you, otherwise butt out. Like I have spoken in the past, when you were dating your husband or wife, did you want go out on dates with them or their parents? Same thing.

2. Don’t speak for your son/daughter amongst adults.

If a coach, or any adult with some authority, asks your child a question, let the child answer. Nothing worse than when I ask an athlete their height and weight and they either look at mom or dad for them to speak OR the child doesn’t even have the chance to speak before the parent chimes in. In doing this, it shows that the parent is overbearing and the athlete relies way too much on them. This is a red flag for a coach since they immediately begin to wonder if the athlete will be handle real life when mommy and daddy are not around. This one can completely crush your child’s recruit-ability, especially if you are looking at a school that isn’t located on the same block as the athlete’s home.

3. Be Supportive Mentally

This one shocks me, but it is a reality. Many parents simply aren’t supportive at all with their kids and can be downright negative. Very hard for an athlete to believe in themselves if their own parent doesn’t believe in them. You would be surprised at how much an athlete can improve PHYSICALLY when they are encouraged in a positive manner MENTALLY.

If you feel this may just be you (little too negative at times), try the Oreo approach. Oreos are a simple food with two black cookies surrounding a frosting center. Think of the cookies as positive statements and the frosting as a negative one. Therefore, if your son didn’t have the greatest snap you would say “Your form is looking good. You had a bit of an issue with not getting your eyes all they way through, but that snap was definitely coming back quick!” You got your criticism in, but sandwiched it in between two positives. Trust me, it works and it works well.

4. Don’t be overbearing

You didn’t really think I would leave this one off the list did you? If you want something and your kid doesn’t, it simply won’t work out. Going to college or the pros is a wonderful thing, but if both the athlete and the parent aren’t on board, it will never work out or be a train wreck if it does. It has to be a united front or the child will end up despising the parent and the sport. Any positive that once came from the sport will now be looked as a negative. Remember, it is just a game. Instead of really riding your kid before a game and stressing them out, how about just trying a simple phrase like “Have fun out there and try your hardest!”

Being overbearing doesn’t just pertain to parent and child. It can mean flat out harassing coaches, writers and recruiting services. There is very fine line between being persistent and being annoying. You cross it and your child could very easily be blackballed. If your child is that good, they will already know of them and won’t need to be told…over and over again.

To listen to this blog as a podcast, please go HERE_________________________________________________________________

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Filed Under: A.C.T., Article Archives, Athlete, Athletics, Coaches, College, Eligibility, Graduating, N.C.A.A., Parenting, Recruiting Tagged With: Chris Rubio, long snapper, long snapping, Long Snapping Parents, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, Parent's Role In Recruiting, Recruiting for Long Snappers, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping, Support Long Snappers

Social Media for Athletes: To Embrace or Not To Embrace

April 1, 2012 By Rubio

Today’s teen athletes are actually very similar to those in the past couple decades. They make good decisions and they make bad decisions. The difference is, now, those decisions are amplified a billion times and spread faster than anything the previous generations could even fathom. An athlete can make a slip up on a social media site and it can be shot around the world with a single click on a smart phone in less than a second.

So, the question arises….should an athlete be involved with social media?

My answer is….ABSOLUTELY….but they should be monitored!

There are several types of social media formats out there. However, I am going only going to discuss only the two head honchos at this point along with the goods and bads of each, for a soon-to-be college athlete.

Facebook and Twitter
– Obviously, Facebook is the big dog of the group but Twitter is gaining steam. Pretty much the entire student body of any high school and college has a Facebook account….and they should. It is a tremendous way to stay connected with one another. If you don’t have an account, I am not even going to explain it to you because you are not reading this and you are currently in a coma.

Facebook Positives – Keeps people connected. You always get to see what people are up to regardless of geographic location. I live in Northern Idaho, but am easily connected with people in Los Angeles, Chicago, Lousiana, Georgia, Maryland…you get the point. Facebook is a tremendous way to keep up with people. I was speaking to some good friends of mine about how Facebook basically is going to wipe out the High School Reunion market. Why even go? Who doesn’t know what is happening with someone simply through their Facebook account?

Facebook Negatives – Imagine your high school hallway, add that group of really annoying girls/guys that are waaaaay too into themselves and amplify that all over the world. That is what Facebook can be. It is a drama-filled machine, if you let it be. The trick is not let yourself get involved. Don’t comment on someone’s post and you will not be involved. If you have a problem with someone, deal with them directly. Don’t just walk outside and scream it. That would be pointless….side note: that is what making a statement or subtweet (sent out to all, but directed at one) is actually doing. You are making yourself look worse than the person you are attempting to ridicule.

Twitter Positives – You can find out information INSTANTLY and you can spread information INSTANTLY. One click and it is gone, to anyone, in the world, that is following you.

Twitter Negatives – Again, you can find out information INSTANTLY and you can spread information INSTANTLY. One click and it is gone, to anyone, in the world, that is following you. Therefore, you say something ignorant and press “tweet” it is out there. Even if you delete it later, someone will have it on their Twitter account.

Facebook Recruit Advantage– Still pretty much under the radar from the NCAA so college coaches can use it to contact you without penalty. And, if they can’t, they can have assistants (people that work for the program but usually are not getting paid) contact you as somewhat of a “middle” man.

Facebook Recruit Disadvantage – You take a trip to a school or show some interest. Within a couple days, a beautiful student of that campus “friends” you on Facebook. You are amazed and almost break your keyboard clicking “accept!” Not to burst your bubble, but she doesn’t find you attractive…at all. She is on the athletic staff to “friend” you, then search through your account for any incriminating posts, messages, likes and especially photos. She will report everything you have done back to the coaches. Why don’t you take some time and go clean up your account now:) Don’t want to or think I’m wrong? Check out this excerpt from an interview with Houston Head Coach Tony Levine (thanks M.F.)

Q: How do coaches monitor social networks when it comes to recruiting? TL: “We monitor it for all of our recruits in more ways than one: position coaches, recruiting coaches, our recruiting coordinator, I do as well. Two things that come to mind: number one, if they’re taking other visits, it’s a great way to find out. When a kid posts a picture of himself at another school on a Saturday with a jersey on, you know he’s on a visit. The second thing is, what they’re posting. The same kid that we dropped because he took two other visits, on his Facebook page, and obviously I was friends with him — posted things nightly that we’re not looking for in our program”

Q: So a recruit can hurt himself by what he posts on his social media pages? TL: “Without question. And he did. In that respect, I think social media has changed (recruiting) for a number of reasons.”

Twitter Recruit Advantage – Still pretty much under the radar from the NCAA so college coaches can use it to contact you without penalty. And, if they can’t, they can have assistants (people that work for the program but usually are not getting paid) contact you as somewhat of a middle man. Easy way to follow your favorite coach or team and feel like you are part of them. Easy way to find other people in your situation, ie: Long Snappers.

Twitter Recruit Disadvantage – Anything you say, anyone you follow and/or retweet represents you. You say something asinine, you look asinine. You follow morons, you look like a moron. You retweet something ignorant, you look ignorant. Remember, whatever you put out there, EVERYONE will see. Someone bad mouths your lady, speak to them directly. You post on Twitter and everyone sees it….NOW! You don’t look like a chivalrous man, you look like someone airing their dirty laundry and no one cares.

Trust me, I get it, there are tons of VERY funny things out there that I would love to retweet, but I don’t…because I am using my brain. Have common sense. You may get the funny line from a movie or inside joke, but just stop and think if the older football coach might not. Even if there is the slightest possibility that something could go wrong with a message or someone could decipher it wrong, don’t do it!

Would I Let My Kid(s) Have an Account – Yup, but as stated earlier, I would monitor it. It is the old theory of when a teen learns to drive. You are worried about how they will drive but almost more worried about the other drivers out there. Same difference here.

I would insist that I was their “friend” on Facebook or followed them on Twitter. If they put up a stink about that one because they are still at the “it isn’t cool to be friends with your parents on Facebook and/or Twitter,” I would say “Ok. No problem. I won’t be your ‘friend’ on Facebook or follow you on Twitter, but then I have to have your accounts password to make sure everything is Ok.” If they still rage, then it is simple. They lose their computer, cell phone or any other way they can access their Facebook and/or Twitter account. You most likely bought them and/or pay their bills (yup, electricity counts) so the upper hand is yours.

Parents, I repeat, you have the upper hand AND you are just trying to help your child for the future. If they don’t get that, there isn’t much they will get.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Facebook, Long Snapper, Maturity, Parenting, Recruiting, Twitter Tagged With: Chris Rubio, deep snap, deep snapper, deep snapping, Facebook, Facebook for Athletes, Long Snap, long snapper, long snapping, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping, Rubio Long Snapping Camps, Should athletes use Social Media, Social Media, Twitter, Twitter for Athletes

How Recruiting is Like the Prom

February 15, 2012 By Rubio

Year in and year out, I go through a lot of recruiting. My job makes me a bit of a middleman, so I get to hear all sides. I see and hear an absolute ton of information from the coaches, the parents, sports writers and the athletes. At times, it is almost bizarre. I have essentially gone through the recruiting process well over a 1,000 times. Think about it….say a Long Snapper gets recruited by about five to ten different schools, now say this happens to an average of about fifty Long Snappers per year, over ten years and it can really add up. Bottom line, I am more and more beginning to know about what recruiting is really like and I have come to the conclusion that it is just like the prom!

Let me explain…..

1. The first offer always means the most – True at the prom and true in recruiting
– A person, well a Long Snapper, might get asked many times to be someone’s date to the prom but they can only choose one. Many a time, they go with the first person that asked because they simply were the first that took a chance on them and saw what others didn’t.
– The college that offers first, usually make a huge statement with an athlete. The athlete looks at them in favor because said college took a chance on them in the beginning when no one else would. They saw first what others took awhile to see. A first offer always sits well and in favor, in an athletes, and their parent’s heart. I have witnessed many an athlete commit to their first offer even after much “bigger” schools came knocking at the door.

2. Once one asks, usually others will follow – True for the prom and true in recruiting.
– A person waits and waits to be asked to the prom (not Long Snappers of course), someone asks, you are all pumped and then, boom, more offers come in, or you find out that others are about to ask you. What to do, what to do? Odds are you end up going with your first offer since they took a chance on you when others would not.
– This is easily one of the most common things in recruiting. It is rare, very rare, that a top athlete gets one, and only one, offer. I seriously think schools simply wait, watch, see what happens and then just offer the same guy because others did it and they don’t want to be the ones that didn’t. This is so common that I have actually read articles from sports writers stating, “_________ was just offered by ___________, so you can fully expect _____, _____ and _____ to offer within a couple days.”

3. So much depends on how you are dressed – True for the prom and true in recruiting.
– Dress like a slob and you will end up with a slob. Dress for success and you will end up with success. This is so true for the prom. Dress appropriately prior to the prom and you will be going with the right person, you will look like a stallion and the photos will turn out great at the prom. Dress like a slacker (forgive me, just saw Back to the Future again) and you will be rolling with a slacker. Like I always say, you are who you hang out with.
– Now, I am not saying on a recruiting trip (official or non-official) that you have to be dressed in a three piece suit, but have some common sense. Wear some good clothing that is clean and makes you look the part (THIS blog might help to refresh your memory). Dress appropriately when you are on your visits and you will immediately impress the coaches.

4. Wait too long and your offer is gone – True for the prom and true in recruiting.
– Someone asks you to prom. You are pumped. You, unless they are your permanent significant other, usually will tell them “thank you so much and I just have to check some things” before you answer them. Standard and you should do that. You will need to check cost, times, approval from parents/guardians (yes, you will). Issue: if you wait too long, the person that asked you is going to get nervous and go someplace else and, inevitably, with someone else.
– Same thing happens with a college. They throw an offer your way, whether it is a full ride or a preferred walk-on, and they want an answer….sooner than later. Some schools will give you a timeline, “We need an answer within one week”, while others leave it open-ended. Think about it though, if you were the school would you wait around for the answer and hope for a positive one or would you continue to recruit? You wait too long and your offer is gone.

5. Sometimes it isn’t what you expect, but if you embrace once you get there, it always turns out great – True for the prom and true in recruiting and beyond.
– I have talked down many an athlete from transferring because they weren’t at “the right place for them” or their college was “not what they expected.” Recruiting is a wild journey and it takes a long time and a lot of thought. If you went through all the proper steps and really made your decision based on solid factors, you can’t go wrong with your decision.

When you finally do make your decision and are at your school of choice, things will be difficult. They are for everyone. Anyone that says they were a thousand percent happy in college from the get-go is a flat out liar. Everyone has issues. It is a big change. Huge. But everyone goes through it and has done it. The trick is to stick it out. Understand what is really happening. College is more about the people than what you are learning. It is figuring out that it isn’t what you know, it is who you know and how well you know them. The same exact thing is true for prom. You may not want to go, but once you go and fully embrace, you end up having a great time with memories to last a lifetime….kinda like college:)

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Deep Snapper, High School, Humor, Long Snapper, Recruiting, Relationships Tagged With: Chris Rubio, long snapper, long snapping, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, Recruiting and Prom, recruiting process, Recruiting Process for Long Snappers, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping

Meet The TOP 12

February 1, 2012 By Rubio

Going to Vegas in January for underclassmen Long Snappers means several things: seeing what all of the commotion is about, doing your absolute best, getting your ranking solidified, watching in awe at the top seniors that you have read so much about and, of course, making the exclusive TOP 12 list! The TOP 12 is chosen from underclassmen in January and they are simply the best of the best in January. They are the ones that snap the hardest, the most accurate, have the best blocking and are able to handle the pressure of the entire weekend. You make this list and you are on way to greatness….if you keep working as hard and smart as you did to make it.

The TOP 12 Long Snappers of January will be listed below. They are invited to exclusive TOP 12 and EVENT ELITE camp this summer. You are only allowed to attend this camp if you prove yourself at one of our Vegas Events (January or May). Therefore, in May, I will be choosing the EVENT ELITE. They will be the best of the best in May and combine with the TOP 12 during the summer for the invite only camp. Some simply aren’t ready for January Vegas and need May to make a name for themselves. This happens. I know it. One particular instance would be Jonathan Weeks. He came in January, was not ready, worked his tail off and came back to dominate May. FYI: Jonathan Weeks in now doing this for his job. Side note: after reading his bio on that page, try to figure out what special teams camp the coach found out about him:)

Think about this….come this summer…will you be reading daily about the TOP 12 and EVENT ELITE camp this summer or will you be participating? MAKE IT HAPPEN. ENOUGH EXCUSES. See you in May. PROVE YOURSELF!!!

With no further adieu, here are your TOP 12 Long Snappers of 2011 and feel free to click on their name for the profile page from the website.

Name: Matthew Boggs

School: Benton High School

Grad Year: 2013

Ht: 6’1”

Wt: 200

GPA: 4.0

SAT/ACT: 27 ACT, SAT to be taken

Top 5 College Choices:

1. TCU

2. Vanderbilt

3. Rice

4. Baylor

5. Tulane

Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, and water sports.

Other sports in high school: Tennis (sophomore, junior), basketball (freshman, sophomore), track (freshman)

Favorite food: Lasagna

Favorite movie: Shooter

Favorite inspirational quote:

“It’s not the will to win, but the will to prepare that makes the difference” – Bear Bryant

If you could have dinner with one person who would it be and why?

Benjamin Franklin because he was influential in the United States’ creation, and he created many unique inventions that have helped shape the world today.

What makes you the best long snapper in the country?

I believe that my work ethic makes me the best Long Snapper in the country. I am a big believer in the saying, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” To me, this quote means you can be better than someone by outworking them, which I try to do. I believe that my dedication and hard work puts me ahead of everyone else.

What is one unique quality about you that not everyone might know about?

I am a history enthusiast. I enjoy going to museums, watching documentaries, and reading about history.

Name: Reed Buce

School: Centennial High School (Peoria, AZ)

Grad Year: 2013

Ht: 6’1

Wt: 240

GPA: 3.71

SAT/ACT: Scheduled for March.

Top 5 College Choices:

1. UCLA

2. ASU

3. Oregon St.

4. Alabama

5. Oregon

Hobbies (name only three please):

Snow boarding, Hunting, Drawing

Other sports you play in HS:

None

Favorite Food:

Im a long snapper they are all my favorite. (pizza)

Favorite Movie:

Tommy Boy

Favorite Inspirational Quote:

Don’t let someones perspective become your reality.

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Lance Armstrong, that man has the drive that no one else on this earth has. He’s dealt with mounds of adversity and has blown through them as if they didn’t exist, I want to know his story and what was going on through his mind when things weren’t going his way.

What makes you the best Long Snapper in the country?

Plain and simple, I put in the work. First one in, last one out, that’s always the way I’ve been. I compete against myself and strive to be better every single day. I set goals and will sacrifice everything to obtain what I want.

What is one unique quality about you that not everyone might know about?

I’ve always wanted to be a dentist.

Name: Matthew Cota
School: Eagle High School
Graduation Year: 2013
HT: 6’2″
WT: 215
GPA: 3.750
ACT/ SAT: Will be taking the SAT in April 2012
TOP FIVE COLLEGE:
1. Boise State
2. Oklahoma State
3. University of Wyoming
4. Washington State
5. Arizona State
HOBBIES
– fishing/ hunting
– snow boarding
– paintballing
OTHER SPORTS
– Track and Field
– Lacrosse
FAVORITE FOOD
Anything BBQ
FAVORITE MOVIE
Tie between The Fighter and The Eagle
FAVORITE QUOTE
“We do not take counsel of our fears, our naysayers or the unknown.” – Chris Peterson Boise State Head Football Coach
DINNER WITH WHO AND WHY
I would have dinner with Georges St. Pierre. He is a mix martial artist who is very mentaly strong. I would like to have dinner with him to ask him how he gets his mind right before a competition.
WHAT MAKES ME THE BEST LONG SNAPPER IN THE NATION
I am the best long snapper in the nation because of my excellent work ethic and my ability to overcome adversity. I have never or never will leave my practice regiment with a bad snap.
MY UNIQUE QUALITY
I Raced Go-Karts competitively for 7 years and won many championships.

Chase Dominguez

– Orange Lutheran High School

– 2013

– Ht: 6’4

– Wt: 180

– GPA: 3.7

– SAT: taking it in March of 2012

– Top 5 College Choices: 1. Oregon 2. Texas 3. USC 4. Colorado Boulder 5. Arizona

– Hobbies: going to the beach with friends, watching movies, playing football

– Other sports played in HS: Volleyball

– Favorite Food: Filet Mignon

– Favorite Movie: Stepbrothers

– Favorite Quote: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

– Dinner with one person and why: I would have dinner with George Washington because I think that he was the best president we have had run this country and he set the bar for every other president to follow.

– I believe that I am the best long snapper in the country because I work very hard and I am always trying to improve my snapping technique, I am also a very coachable player.

– One unique thing: I have an identical twin brother, him and I are almost exactly the same.

Name: Tucker Etheridge

School: Blessed Trinity High School

Grad Year: 2013

Ht: 5’11

Wt: 225

GPA: overall 3.2

SAT/ACT: Taking it March 10

Top 5 College Choices:

1. Alabama

2. Vanderbilt

3. Ole Miss

4. Auburn

5. Appalachian State

Hobbies (name only three please): Fishing, Golf, Weightlifting

Other sports you play in HS: None

Favorite Food: Chicken Parmesan

Favorite Movie: Saving Private Ryan

Favorite Inspirational Quote: “First, I prepare. Then, I have faith.” – Joe Namath

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I would like to have dinner with Bear Bryant to learn more about the character traits that led to his success as a football coach. I’m interested in his ability to motivate others while teaching them self-discipline, his perseverance in preparing the team physically and mentally, and how he balanced being a really tough coach with being a kind and generous man.

What makes you the best Long Snapper in the country? My ability to snap under pressure and to snap consistently are what make me the best long snapper in the country.

What is one unique quality about you that not everyone might know about? I have the perfect snapping partner – my identical twin brother is a punter and a holder.

Name: Mike Lizanich

School: Pinnacle High School

Grad Year: 2013

Ht: 6ft

Wt: 225

GPA: 3.41

SAT/ACT: January 28th, 2012

Top 5 College Choices:

1. Wisconsin

2. Oklahoma

3. Mississippi

4. Arizona

5. Duke

Hobbies (name only three please): Working out, long snapping,

Other sports you play in HS: None

Favorite Food: Italian

Favorite Movie: Valkyrie

Favorite Inspirational Quote: “Success is getting up one more time then your knocked down”

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Abe Lincoln because he stayed on course and never wavered.

What makes you the best Long Snapper in the country?

No one out works me. I do not fold under pressure. And even on my worst days I deliver.

What is one unique quality about you that not everyone might know about?

I have owned multiple businesses.

Name: Cole Mazza

School: Liberty High School

Grad Year: 2013

Ht: 6’1

Wt: 240

GPA: overall 3.6

SAT/ACT: Took it Saturday January 28

Top 5 College Choices:

1. Alabama

2. Oregon

3. Georgia

4. Tennessee

5. Washington

Hobbies (name only three please): playing basketball with friends, hanging out with friends, and working out.

Other sports you play in HS: none

Favorite Food: authentic Italian food

Favorite Movie: Friday Night Lights

Favorite Inspirational Quote: “Ability can take you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why? I would want to have dinner with Seth Rogan because he is the funniest actor I know and I love to be around people who can make me laugh really hard.

What makes you the best Long Snapper in the country? I work harder and smarter then any other person out there and I want to be the best more then any other person out there.

What is one unique quality about you that not everyone might know about? I like to volunteer at the homeless center because it keeps me humble and makes me appreciate what I have.

Name: Gabriel Miller
School: Penn High School
Grad Year: 2013
Ht: 6′ 1″
Wt: 240
GPA: 3.875
SAT/ACT: 1540 (I will be taking it again at the end of my Junior year)

Top 5 College Choices:
1. Boston College
2. Alabama
3. Virginia Tech
4. Illinois
5. Vanderbilt
Hobbies: Weight lifting, Running, Spending time with my family

Other sports you play in HS: Wrestling, track, and I also run with the Cross Country team during the summer.

Favorite Food: Barbecue Ribs

Favorite Movie: Remember the Titans

Favorite Inspirational Quote: “Winning is not a some time thing it is an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while… you do them right all the time.” Vince Lombardi

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why? Vince Lombardi – I would like to listen to all of his great stories and gain some knowledge from the greatest football coach of all time.

What makes you the best Long Snapper in the country? I am the best long snapper in the country because of my focus, drive, confidence and determination. I have the discipline, passion, mental toughness, and spirit to outwork everyone. I have the will to excel and the will to win.

What is one unique quality about you that not everyone might know about? My name is Gabriel, which means God is my might, and Hero of God. I try to live up to this in every aspect of my life. I hope that when people see me, and everything that I represent, they will see that I am different. I don’t just follow the crowd, I am a leader.

Name: Austin Orr

School: Cathedral High School of Indianapolis Indiana

Grad Year: 2013

Ht: 6’1″

Wt: 245

GPA: 3.0

SAT/ACT: Not yet taken

Top 5 College Choices:

1. Michigan

2. Penn State

3.West Virginia

4.Georgia Tech

5.Purdue

Hobbies (name only three please): Weight Training, listening to music, and long snapping

Other sports you play in HS: none

Favorite Food: Spaghetti

Favorite Movie: Transformers 2

Favorite Inspirational Quote: Everything is okay in the end, if it’s not ok, it’s not the end.

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why? President Obama. We need to talk.

What makes you the best Long Snapper in the country? My size, strength, my consistantly accurate ball, my quick hands, and my blocking ability.

What is one unique quality about you that not everyone might know about? I only wear one contact (Sharp-Shooter Swag)

Name: Graydon Peterson

School: Whitefish Bay High School

Grad Year: 2013

Ht: 6’1’’

Wt: 230 lbs.

GPA: 3.824

SAT/ACT: SAT- March, ACT- April

Top 5 College Choices:

1. Harvard

2. Yale

3. Stanford

4. Wisconsin

5. Washington University St. Louis

Hobbies (name only three please): Reading, weightlifting, playing Clarinet

Other sports you play in HS: track and baseball

Favorite Food: Steak Frites with Béarnaise sauce

Favorite Movie: Young Frankenstein

Favorite Inspirational Quote: What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is within us out into the world, miracles happen.

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why? If I could have dinner with one person it would be Albert Einstein because of his contributions to the world of modern physics, theory of general relativity and the photoelectric effect during a chaotic time in the world.

What makes you the best Long Snapper in the country? Everyone in the Top 12 can long snap with accuracy and consistency. What differentiates me from the others is that I best exemplify the student athlete. I am currently enrolled in AP Biology, AP American History and am registered for four AP classes next semester including English, French, Chemistry and Calculus. I take care of business in the classroom and on the field.

What is one unique quality about you that not everyone might know about? I Irish danced competitively for several years and medaled at the Mid American Championships.

Scott Sypniewski

Marquette Academy

Ottawa, IL

2013

6’1″

225

3.3 GPA

ACT– will take in April 2012

Top 5 Colleges

1. Michigan

2. Iowa

3. Tenneesee

4. Nebraska

5. Western Michigan

Hobbies: working out, traveling, being with friends and family

Food: Lasagna

Movie: Miracle On Ice

Quote: “Hard work beats talent, when talent doesnt work hard.”

Dinner with one person: My grandma. She never had the chance to see snap. Also she loved Vegas.

Why am I the best Long Snapper in the country: I continue to train and improve every day. I realize that long snapping is a selfless position. It requires self- motivation and dedication. I work countless hours on my snapping technique. In college, I know how special it is to have the opportunity to be a long snapper. Most times, during practice, we are left alone to practice while the rest of the team goes through their offensive and defensive practice. I understand this responsibility and embrace it. I will be the hardest worker on the team.

What is one unique quality about myself: I have dedicated myself to training. During the week, I snap at 5:15am at Off the Bench (an indoor training center in Ottawa, IL) for 45 minutes. After school, I drive 50 miles, each way and work out 60-90 minutes at Extreme Speed. Extreme Speed is an elite training center owned and operated by 2 former College/NFL players, Tavian Banks and Kevin Kasper.

Name: Brendan Turelli

School: Arcadia High School

Grad Year: 2013

Ht: 6′ 2″

Wt: 240

GPA: 3.1

SAT/ACT: have not recieved results yet

Top 5 College Choices:

1. Miami FL

2. TCU

3. Baylor

4. Oregon

5. Nebraska

Hobbies (name only three please): ping pong, teaching my dogs tricks,

online shopping

Other sports you play in HS: used to play basketball but quit to focus

on long snapping

Favorite Food: fish tacos

Favorite Movie: Step Brothers

Favorite Inspirational Quote: I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my

career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to

take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and

over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it

be and why? Ghandi, we would talk about his mind set and inner

strength when he was going through all the hate

What makes you the best Long Snapper in the country? consistency and

dedication to long snapping. all the friday nights and weekends i have

missed for training and competitions is completely

What is one unique quality about you that not everyone might know

about? i collect shoes and watches_________________________________________________________________

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Deep Snapper, Exposure, Long Snapper, Motivation, Recruiting, TOP 12 Tagged With: Austin Orr, Brendan Turelli, Chase Dominguez, Chris Rubio, Cole Mazza, deep snap, deep snapper, deep snapping, Gabriel Miller, Graydon Peterson, Long Snap, long snapper, long snapping, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, Matthew Boggs, Matthew Cota, Mike Lizanich, Reed Buce, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping, Scott Sypniewski, TOP 12, Tucker Etheridge

How to be Recruited as a Long Snapper

November 2, 2011 By Rubio

In the past, I wrote a blog about What Makes a Long Snapper Great which had to do with the physical aspects of an athlete. This blog is going to have to deal with the actual recruiting of a Long Snapper once you have mastered all that the other information within the previous blog. Much of this will sound familiar if you have been to my camps, but now you can have the info to print out. I am even going to put the information in order of importance. Let’s begin…

1. Academics

I put this one at the top simply because without proper grades, it won’t matter how great of a Long Snapper you are…you will not be going to college. Couple key points to this one:

Try to maintain (a minimum, if you can go higher, do it!) a standard 3.0 and 1000 (out of 1600) on the SAT or 24 on the ACT. That is a pretty solid middle ground. My theory is that if you are GPA is higher, your test scores can be lower. This shows you are a hard-worker and, most likely, a poor test taker. If you GPA is lower, your test scores better be higher. This shows you are smart, but most likely lazy. Think of the GPA/Scores like a teeter-totter, when one side goes up the other comes down.
Go into your counselor today and make sure you will be eligible for the schools you are interested in attending after high school. They will tell you, hopefully, that you are on pace to graduate. Let them know you want to know specifically for the following schools (this is where you list the schools you are interested in). Do not leave until you find out exactly what you want to know. I have witnessed many a Long Snapper lose an opportunity to play at the next level because they didn’t realize they had to take a fourth year of math or English or take an extra fine arts class.
Take both the ACT and the SAT, and take them both at least twice. The first time for each is a trial run. Just use it to get the feel of the whole procedure. Why take them both? I call it the McGarry Rule. Michael McGarry is one of my Long Snappers from TX who scored a 1800/2400 on the SAT (not bad, but I am not writing home about it) but then took the ACT and crushed it with a 35! FYI: 36 is perfect and people at NASA struggle to get his score. If McGarry had not taken both tests, he would not have achieved that score that puts him in a whole separate category of recruits: academically, it is almost a given he can get in.

2. Body

A college is always going to want to recruit a Long Snapper that can handle the constant pounding of major college football. If your body is not ideal, the rest of “you” (other aspects I am and will mention) better be stupendous. They will not want to recruit a fragile player or someone that is injured more often than not. Think about it, would you buy a car that is always broken down? Didn’t think so. If you don’t pass the eyeball test, they will already be negative towards you in regards to your Long Snapping before you even snap one ball.

3. Snapping
I am not going to go into detail (there is a ton of information) on this one here, simply because I already did it within this Long Snapping blog.

4. Camps – Long Snapping
It is very difficult to be recruited without attending a Long Snapping camp (one with actual credibility…ALWAYS check testimonials and ask OTHER people) and doing well. Of course, I am partial to my own since I know they are proven and I have heard countless horror stories from parents about others. Don’t get me wrong, getting recruited without camps can be done, but it is extremely tricky since the coaches are going to want to know you are worthy of playing at the next level from someone that they know and can trust. Your high school coach may say you are the best he has ever seen, but if he has never actually come across another college level snapper, his word carries no weight.

The same goes with camps. College coaches know which camps are telling the truth and which aren’t regarding the talent level of a Long Snapper. They understand there are tons of camps out there and most don’t have a clue about what it really takes at the next level. Couple things to contemplate….

If you are the best Long Snapper at a camp where there are just a couple Long Snappers, does that really prove anything?
Do some research. Does the camp you are going to possibly attend have any sustenance or is it all smoke and mirrors? Does it look good from the outside but has no “guts” to it?
Contact the Long Snapping instructor yourself and get a feel of them. If you do not feel comfortable with them, you might want to move on.
Contact some Long Snappers and/or their parents through Facebook and ask them the difference or why the chose to attend a certain camp.
Be wary of camps that claim to have invite only camps but actually invite all. Kind of loses the aura of being invited. Not too exclusive if every Long Snapper is invited.
I would ask the instructor to give me numbers of parents I could contact to discuss. They should be willing to give you numbers (or at least have those parents contact you) to discuss the camps.

5. Camps – College
Once you have been to one of the respected above camps, you will begin to get invited to Specialists Camps on a college campus. There are pretty darn important the summer before your senior year and they are a very good experience for all. Here is what you can expect from these….

Very little instruction (unless I am there). They are usually run by the full staff and they don’t have a ton of ideas on what to do for specialists. They know x’s and o’s but are not too familiar with the intricacies of being a Long Snapper. I have heard countless stories of my Long Snappers attending a college camp to literally snap for over 7 hours since the people in charge didn’t understand the position and/or how to coach it.
A massive tryout. The coaches will get a roster before the camp and they will know who the top recruits coming are. They will focus on those guys. Can you crack that code of being one of Long Snappers they really observe? Absolutely, but you better be an absolute stud.
A feeling of what the campus and the staff are like. I am a big fan of a Long Snapper trying to get to one or two before their junior year simply to get used to them (kinda like the ACT/SATs).

6. Personality (Yours and Your Family)
This one can be adjusted on the scale of importance depending the staff at the college. Some will rank it higher (possibly at the top) and some will keep it here. More personable staffs will put this one way up and will really want to get to know all of you well before your arrival on campus. Non-personal staffs won’t care too much.

Usually when a staff is getting to the point of locking you down to their school, they will make a trip to your school and speak with a couple people. These people are more often than not, but not limited to, your coach, your counselor and a random teacher. The college will want to know what type of person you are off the field. If they are there, it is obvious you can snap so now they want to see if you are worth “renting” for the next four to five years. They will not recruit a mental case or someone who is a trouble maker. There is no need since they can just go to the next Long Snapper on the list that isn’t a problem.
The college will also want to know about your home situation. What’s it like? Siblings? Mamma’s boy? Traveler? Overbearing parents? Remember parents/guardians, the school is recruiting your son…NOT you.
Being that you are a Long Snapper, you will be the last chosen by a college. Recruiting can take a long, long, long time for a Long Snapper. It can go right up until August of your senior year (yes, two months after you graduate). Be persistent with the coaches but NOT annoying. Make some calls. Be proactive. If you want it, go get it. YOU go get it, not your parents.

I know this is A LOT of information but it is exactly what goes into each and every recruitment of a Long Snapper. Trust me, I have been a part of many🙂

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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 1,000 Long Snappers earning FULL SCHOLARSHIPS and PWO’s to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Coaches, Deep Snapper, Eligibility, Facebook, Football, High School, Long Snapper, Maturity, Motivation, N.C.A.A., Parenting, Recruiting, S.A.T., Vegas Tagged With: Chris Rubio, How to be recruited as a Long Snapper, long snapper, Long Snapper Rankings, Long Snapper Recruited, long snapping, Long Snapping Camps, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, Recruitment of a Long Snapper, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping

What You Do….What They See

August 24, 2011 By Rubio

I speak with a lot of college coaches throughout the year. We hang out together and we speak about a lot of different things. Being the kind of guy I am, I like to do a lot of listening and observing….lots of it. Often, I will sit back and watch a coach watch an athlete. In doing so, I have noticed that coaches tend to do a lot of hidden “watching.” Not in a weird way or anything, they just really, really like to eyeball a prospective recruit. And, after communicating with many of them over the years and just being able to figure things out on my own, I have come to the conclusion that they see and decipher things you are doing that you might not even be aware of. Therefore, I decided to create a little chart to help you out. It will be broken down into two parts and will be labeled as WHAT YOU DO vs WHAT THEY SEE.

What You Do: Walking to greet them
What They See: An athlete’s gait (basically means strut and/or the way you walk) is a huge one for coaches.

Do you look awkward and/or nonathletic? Do you have your head down? Are your shoulder’s hunched? Are you shuffling along? All of these are Code Reds for a college coach. Hold yourself up high and be confident in your strut. You would already know this one if you had read this long snapping blog.

What You Do: Getting water. Hanging out in the locker room. Eating with your friends.
What They See: How you interact with your teammates.

Are you social? Too social? Reserved? Rude? Passive? Aggressive? These are all things coaches want to see. Most coaches really like a kid that is social but not too social. Bottom line, have fun but don’t be a jerk. Rule of thumb, if you wouldn’t do it with me standing right next to you, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.

What You Do: Hanging out with your family
What They See: If you are rude or not to your parents/siblings.

Trust me, they get you are a teenager and unless you have reached the age where you actually start embracing your parents again (patience parents, it will come) they understand the dynamic. Saying that, they want to see if you are a donkey or actually a decent human being. You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their parent(s) and coaches know this. Now, you don’t have to be over the top as that will show you are too dependent on them (or the parent needs to spread out) but you also don’t have belittle or spit venom at them either.

What You Do: Grabbing the football
What They See: How flexible or athletic you are.

Not even kidding, I have witnessed a ton of coaches focus on when an athlete reaches over to grab a ball simply to see how he bends. Do you look like a 115 year old man or are you fluid? Also, I have witnessed even more check out how a kid catches a snap or fiddles with a football to see his coordination level. I have seen coaches lock onto a kid simply because he looks athletic and not awkward catching someone else’s snap!

What You Do: Running
What They See: If you have that certain type of speed they are looking for.

Ok, so you saw this one and said, duh Rubio. But did you know, many coaches know a Long Snapper is not usually going to be a gazelle out of the blocks so they want to see how you finish the play. They look for something called closing speed. Closing speed is when you are finally at full throttle (let’s pray it is less than a quarter mile to this point), you see where the punt is, zero in on the returner and then head towards them. Many top athletes will almost hit a sixth gear at this point and coaches LOVE that in their players.

What You Do: Stare at them, nod at them, have fujidadobs (pronounced foo-ja-da-dobs)
What They See: You are distant, you are fake, you are clueless.

Are you even paying attention to the coach? Skip this one and write your own ticket to never playing for that team.
Are you looking them in the eye? They want to make sure you have the confidence to stare them down just like they are doing to you.
Are you nodding? Coaches know the I-am-going-to-nod-at-every-single-thing-you-say-so-it-looks-like-I-ameally-paying-attention trick. You look like a weirdo and you aren’t fooling anyone. Throw a nod in every once in awhile, but continuous nodding makes you look like a bobble head.
Are you in full-on fujidadobs mode? I have good friend named CP. His family (I believe) came up with the term fujidadobs. Every person in the world has done it and the trick is to not do it often or in public. Fujidadobs is the process of being so enthralled in something that you completely zone out, let your mouth open and become glassy. Really bad cases of fujidadobs will involve drooling. If you are still confused, turn on Animal Planet or any show about building the biggest something (plane, tanker, megaloader, tractor, bridge) in front of a male and sit back and watch them. Within five minutes, they will have a huge case of fujidadobs.
Bottom line, focus on the coach and listen to what they are spraying but do not zone out. If they ask you a question and you have no clue what they have even said, you are going to look like a complete idiot and not someone they want on their team.

A coach sees everything….everything. Their job/money/life is based on who they recruit. They control you, but you almost control them as well. Therefore, a coach is going to want to recruit a very athletic, physically good looking, well mannered person who listens. And, this Über athlete should be someone that he would be comfortable with babysitting his child (Lord help us) or dating his daughter (I don’t care how hot she is, run for the hills).

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Coaches, College, Long Snapper, Maturity, Motivation, Recruiting Tagged With: Chris Rubio, College Coaches, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping, What College Coaches See, What You Do and What They See

College Football Recruiting: Are You Dating, Engaged or Married?

June 29, 2011 By Rubio

Anyone that has even been a top tier athlete or involved with one, knows that recruiting is a wild ride. I have taken to this blog and described how recruiting basically occurs in waves and now I want to explain what happens when you actually do get recruited. The fact that you are reading this means that you are ahead of the game so I say well done to you. I decided to break it down in a pretty easy fashion so it is clear to anyone whether you are an athlete or just a casual observer. To me, when you are getting recruited, it is very similar to….

DATING – When you start getting recruited you are essentially just dating. When dating, you are not really locked down to one person and can play the field. Same with schools and coaches. You are not locked into them and they are not locked into you. You will look at other schools and they will look at other athletes. You would be ignorant not to and so would they. “Dating” in recruiting is when you really get to know the other person/coach/school. This is the time to ask a ton of questions, check out the environment and see if it is right for you. If the person/coach/school is right for you, than it is time to move onto getting…….

ENGAGED – You have found the one for you and you are ready to take it to the next level. You are ready to lock yourself in by verbally committing to a person/coach/school. When you verbally commit to a school before signing day you are essentially engaged to them. You are telling them I want you and only you just like a normal engagement to a person. And, just like a normal engagement, you do have an out. You have not signed on the dotted line (National Letter of Intent) and, therefore, are still not truly committed to them. You can back out of your engagement and, just like in real life, the other party will not be happy if you choose to do so. Committing and de-committing over and over is heavily frowned upon by schools, me and writers. It shows a lack of character at times and is not a good way to make yourself look like a stable human being. So, when you are really, really ready to take the next step you get……

MARRIED – You have dated, you have been engaged and now you want to commit…to the fullest extent. You are going to officially lock yourself into the person/coach/school by signing on the dotted line. Once you sign your National Letter of Intent, you are married. No pulling back now. You are committed to them and they are committed to you. Don’t even think about getting divorced/transferring as it is an uphill battle that rarely works out for the athlete. You lose a year of eligibility and many schools won’t take a chance on an athlete that has left somewhere else. Think about it, the school will immediately wonder why you left? are you a bad person? did you not get along with the coaches? did they not get along with you? why did it not work out for you? They will most likely contact the program you left to see what the deal was. Can you even imagine if new husbands or wives did that to ex’s….wow. That would get extremely ugly and it can for athletes and coaches as well.

Get married to your school and stay there. If you went through the process of dating, being engaged and did all your homework, your decision will suit you well for the future of your academic and athletic career.

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How to Speak to a College Coach

June 15, 2011 By Rubio

The expression “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” is never more prevalent than when you introduce yourself to a college coach. From the second they see you, they are eyeballing you up and down to see what you are made of from the bottom of your feet to the top of head. You remember that scene in the movie Madagascar (come on, don’t act tough, you know you have watched it) when the lion sees the zebra as just a giant steak?

https://youtu.be/le14ovT6wWo

Welcome to your world of college recruiting. Side note: you aren’t the lion.

Don’t blame the coaches, I would do the same thing. Their job/pay is based on how they recruit and how well those that they recruited do within their program. If you turn off a coach right off the bat, it is hard to get back into their graces. Here is how to start off on the right foot……

Stand tall. In football, size matters. Plain and simple. When you are about to approach a coach, breathe in. It makes you look taller. Careful, there is a fine line between breathing in to look a tad taller and breathing in and looking like a complete idiot that is trying too hard. Example: look at 99% of the kids in a high school football program and their head shot. You know how they are leaning back and trying to make their neck look fat and thicker? Really, really lame since everyone at the upper levels knows that trick and mocks it.
Look the coach DIRECTLY in their eyes. I mean directly. Almost piercing. Look right through him as though you are in no way intimidated by them. They will respect you for your confidence.
Shake it to break it. A hand shake is one of the things that will immediately separate you from the pack. Coaches are former football players and football players are usually strong. They will not have a weak grip and will judge someone who does. Open your paw, reach out and engulf their hand. Hold it until he relinquishes and keep your eyes on his eyes the entire time. Don’t look down to where it looks like you are surprised you have such a great hand shake. Do the exact same thing to the women you meet on your trips, but just hold off on the pressure a tad. No need to crush their hand but you also don’t want to do the finger grab thing. You aren’t on the set of the Titanic so knock off the pomp and circumstance.
Little on the thin side? Wear thermals on the top and bottom. You won’t look like you have toothpicks for legs and you will look thick throughout your whole frame.
Wear appropriate clothing. A collared shirt is always acceptable. Don’t look sloppy. If you are going for the rahah angle, wear the appropriate school’s gear. For instance, and this may seem like a no-brainer, but, unfortunately it is not, if you are going to visit say Alabama, don’t wear a Auburn sweatshirt. That is just ignorant and shows no respect for the coach or the school.
Don’t fidget. After you gave a good shake and you are standing tall, keep your paws to your side or on your hips. Do not put them in your pockets or pick at your hands. In pockets, conveys you are hiding something and picking is a distraction and will take the coach’s attention away from your whole body and only to your nervous habit.
Speak slowly. I know you are nervous. They know you are nervous. When someone is nervous, they tend to speak a lot quicker. Slow down and speak clearly. For instance, when you tell them your name and where you are from you need to realize that is something you have said a zillion times and almost have a pattern. They wont know the pattern or be familiar with your distinct name and hometown. To avoid a back and forth game of “huh” and “what” just slow down.

There you go. You are now prepared to speak to a college coach. Now, get focused on your grades, your body and your form to make your dream of getting to the next level a reality.

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Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Rubio has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the USA Today, Deadspin and countless other publications.

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 14 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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Filed Under: Article Archives, Coaches, College, Recruiting Tagged With: Advice on Speaking, Confidence, long snapper, long snapping, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping, Speaking to College Coaches

How to Choose The Right College

June 3, 2011 By Rubio

So you finally finish your junior year of high school and are really starting to focus on the next step of your life….college. Choosing the right college for you (and only you) is a major decision and should not be taken lightly. Like they say, college is “four for forty” meaning it is a four year experience that will affect you for the next forty….better choose wisely.

Here are my thoughts on how to pick the right school for my Long Snappers:

NEVER, ever, ever choose a school based on the coach. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know he loves you and has been so nice to you and his 3rd grade daughter absolutely loves her elementary school and he and his wife just redecorated the house and blah, blah, blah. That coach gets a better offer and he is gone. Gone. I was at UCLA for five years and had only ONE coach finish with me that started with me. Shocking? Actually quite common. With coaches leaving for greener pastures and other issues, stay clear of choosing a school simply for a coach.
Make sure your choice is a school that you could see yourself attending if you did not play football. God forbid you get injured or a coach leaves which makes you sad (refer to #1), you should be able to handle your school sans football. Football only swallows your time for certain months of the year. When season is over, you will need to be able to find yourself on the campus and the community and be happy.
Remember where you are from and what you are used to. Make sure you understand that the USA is a very different place state by state. Whether it be the climate (humidity), types of people (polite or rude), restaurants (Five Guys) or even customs (y’all). America is a vast place and if you are not familiar with your surroundings it can be a shell shock that will make you want to head back home…..which you do not want.
I am not saying you shouldn’t go out and explore or move away. I embrace something new for my guys. I am just saying you should understand what moving away entails. Think ahead so you don’t have to move back. Yet again, you don’t want that within your college career.

Take your time with your college decision. It is something that will have a great deal of affect on you for a long, long time. You will meet a ton of interesting people and might even end up working with them. Nah, that couldn’t happen…could it?

Sailer and I at UCLA circa 1997 dominating the kicking and snapping world

Sailer and I at 9th Annual Event in 2011 dominating the kicking and snapping world

Filed Under: Article Archives, College, Graduating, High School, Long Snapper, Maturity, Recruiting Tagged With: Choosing a College, Choosing the Right College, Graduating High School, long snapper, long snapping, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping

Are You Helping or Hindering Your Athlete?

May 24, 2011 By Rubio

There is a very simple, tiny little factor that can make a terrific athlete (Long Snapper in this case) an absolute disaster. It isn’t something you can touch, buy or even give to someone. It is a feeling and it is often brought about by a person that loves the athlete the most. The feeling is TENSION and the person(s) often inflicting it are the PARENTS.

Athletes can be tense from self inflicted pressure (rarely) or, more often than not, from an outside source (parent/guardian).

An athlete that is working, truly working (camps, lessons, doing drills on their own, watching film, etc) to become the best KNOWS what rides with each “step” they take in life. They know the implications, they know the ramifications and they know the factors that will enable them to reach their goals within their sport. They got it. Trust me, they know. They do need a little motivation now and again (notice I say motivation which means being positive and not negative) but they do not need to be harassed.

When a parent rides an athlete and nags them, they will make them tense. Very tense. Being tense is not the same as pressure. Pressure is something that every athlete, and person, will have to deal with in life. It is a given. Whether it is a game winning snap, a public speech, a deadline or making your paycheck stretch, you will experience some sort of pressure….so why would you want to add on to that pressure for your son/daughter with tension?

So, how do you know if your athlete is tense? How do you know if your athlete is really into his/her sport and doing it because THEY want to or because YOU want them to? Here are the two biggest ways I have noticed…..
1. Sit back and see who approaches who to get some practice in to get better. Are you asking THEM to get some work in or are they asking YOU? If you find yourself pressing the issue, you might want to pull back a bit. Odds are they are doing it for you, are stressed out and are filled with tension.
2. After each particular key play (a snap in this case) do they focus on what they are doing or do the immediately look up to see your reaction? If an athlete tends to look up immediately for approval from a parent, they are usually running very tense and will never be fully happy or succeed to their fullest extent.

So, what should you (a parent) do? Watch your kid in sports, let them see you NODDING in approval, let them hear you giving them PRAISE and being POSITIVE.

Or don’t.

The choice is yours.

I have been working with top athletes for over a decade and I have NEVER seen one perform better when they are tense. If you simply don’t have the ability to nod (side note: you seriously might want to work on that) I recommend just staying back a bit. Definitely come and support your child but just keep a good distance. Instead of watching from the sideline, watch from the top of the bleachers. Don’t even let your kid know where you are sitting. Spread out. You’ll still be able to see what is happening and relay back to them what you saw.

An athlete will ALWAYS excel at a higher level when they are confident and relaxed. There is enough pressure on them at the camps, competitions, events and games without someone else adding tension to the equation. Be supportive, not suffocating and watch the results skyrocket. No matter how independent a non-adult athlete feels they are, they will always follow your lead and feed off of you. Be worth following.

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The Difference Between a Walk-On, a Preferred Walk-On and a Full Scholarship

May 16, 2011 By Rubio

Easily one of the most common issues I deal with since I work with Long Snappers. Unfortunately, some schools still don’t embrace putting a top quality Long Snapper on full scholarship and are locked onto the preferred walk-on option for their specialists. Let me explain the differences to clarify for you….

WALK-ON

A flat out, standard walk-on is a student that has been admitted to the school, the coaches have no idea about and he simply wants to try out for the team. Tryouts are usually held in the spring time right before a team’s Spring Ball. They are usually run by a lower tier coach or even a GA (graduate assistant). Tryouts can last anywhere from a couple of minutes to a week and will cover a ton of athletic aspects and then your respective position. It is often like in high school when a coach had too many players tryout and he would just make everyone run for the first couple days simply to weed out who could and couldn’t handle it. If you can handle the nonsense at the beginning, they will give you a shot at your position but you better be absolutely terrific for them to bring you on the team. Why? Bottom line, they will kind of look like an idiot for having this gem sitting right under their noses and they didn’t even know it. Ever see those people on those antique shows that have their great grandpas old boots or something and it turns out they are worth a ton of cash? You scream out “What kind of moron doesn’t know they have something that valuable right in front of them after all these years?” FYI: coaches don’t like to be thought of as a moron.

It is VERY hard to make the team and this fashion. In all my time at UCLA, I don’t recall one ever making it. If you are going for the angle at a school that you have been admitted to for academics I wish you the best of luck as you are going to need it. Going in blind (not contacting the coach at all) leaves you behind a major 8 ball.

PREFERRED WALK-ON

This is a very common anecdote for a coach with a Long Snapper, as they know the full rides are few and far between. A Preferred Walk-On is an athlete that IS recruited by the school and is offered a spot on the team. Usually they are told and/or it is known, that the athlete will be placed on full scholarship as soon as he starts. The Preferred Walk-On will, depending on the team, get treated exactly like a full scholarship athlete but they just don’t get things (books, food, dorm, school, etc) paid for. Plain and simple. Couple key points about a Preferred Walk-On are….

· Finding out when you are reporting. This is a pretty big one. If the school really wants you and respects you, you will be brought in early with all of the scholarship athletes. Usually early August. D1 schools are only allowed to bring in 105 early. You want to be on that list.

· Knowing the coach will always try to replace you. I was a preferred walk-on at UCLA and was a solid starter for three years in a row to several All-Americans. Good credentials, right? Yup. I was put on full scholarship and guess what? They still would bring in at least two Long Snappers each year to try and beat me out. Why? Why not? They would also try to have me coach other guys on the team (linebackers and tight ends) how to snap so I didn’t have to take a travel spot and they could just do a double duty. Two for one basically. Given, I am not ignorant and didn’t teach those guys a darn thing about how to snap. “Ok, guys, here is how you will take my job” Nice try.

· Not all schools are created equal with their Preferred Walk-Ons. UCLA was great when I was there with all of their athletes. I was treated as an equal and embraced. I have heard of some schools making their Preferred Walk-Ons feel like second class citizens by having them share lockers, not giving them a number, or just making things rough for them. Ask other preferred walk-ons at that school to see what the vibe is. They will be deadly honest with you as where others may not.

FULL SCHOLARSHIP You are a stud. You have received the rare honor (only 85 per team in D1 athletics and the same in lower divisions but they can be split up in percentages) of obtaining a full scholarship to a university. Some lucky school is going to pay for your education and you will earn a degree on their dime. Huge, huge win. Work hard and make sure you don’t waste their money. They are investing in you and they will want a return on their investment. Bottom line, play like a soldier and do your job as expected. Keep your nose clean and represent your university well. Like they say, you will play for four years but will represent your university for at least the next forty.

To summarize, imagine the school as your parents. If you are a full scholarship athlete, they are flat out handing you the keys to the car. If you are a preferred walk-on, they are holding the keys out in front of you while they keep walking away from you. You can get them but you are going to have to work to get them from their grasp. If you are a walk on, your parents hid the car keys and gave you Ray Charles to help you find them.

Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Rubio has been featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the USA Today, Deadspin and countless other publications. 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 15 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 1,000 Long Snappers earning full scholarships and preferred walk-on opportunities to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Athlete, College, Deep Snapper, Featured Posts, N.C.A.A., Recruiting, scholarship Tagged With: a Preferred Walk-On, Athletic Scholarship, Chris Rubio, college recruiting, football recruiting, Full Scholarship, long snapper, long snapping, LongSnapper, national recruits, nationally ranked long snapper, NCAA, recruiting, Rubio long snapping, walk on

Rubio Long Snapper Reid Ferguson Receives Full Ride Offer

May 7, 2011 By Rubio

Long time Rubio Long Snapper Reid Ferguson (2012, GA) has been offered a full scholarship from San Diego St! Reid started his career with Rubio Long Snapping at the beginning of his freshman year in high school and has been dominating ever since.

Reid is someone that has worked extremely hard for what he has earned within his football career. His form is darn near flawless and his large frame enables him to snap an absolute rocket. He plays for a powerhouse in Georgia so he is used to the spotlight and definitely seems to be his best when the pressure is on. Here is a clip of him at the 9th Annual Event in Las Vegas:

If Reid decides on San Diego St. he would be taking over for former #1 Rubio Long Snapper Aaron Brewer and would be coached by Tony White who is a former teammate of Rubio from UCLA back in the day.

Congratulations again to Reid Ferguson!UPDATE: Reid has also earned offers from Tennessee and LSU!

NEW UPDATE 6/20: Reid has committed to LSU!

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Filed Under: Article Archives, College, Deep Snapper, Exposure, Long Snapper, Motivation, Recruiting, scholarship Tagged With: Chris Rubio, Full Ride, long snapper, long snapping, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, LSU, Reid Ferguson, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping, San Diego State, Scholarship, Tennessee

10 Steps to Making a Great Highlight Tape for a Long Snapper

April 22, 2011 By Rubio

One of the most common questions I get is always about extended highlight tapes. Everyone wants to know about content, length, set up and delivery. Here is my answer in a quick and easy format.

Please note: you could easily just use the highlight tapes that I make for you at all Rubio Long Snapping camps as well if you’d like. Benefit: they are verified by me.

1. Your highlight tape should be available online on YouTube.

Reason: YouTube NEVER goes down. It is able to be seen on EVERYTHING (computer, cell, tablet). I know many schools use Hudl but Hudl doesn’t always work on all devices.

2. Your highlight tape should have an intro (you spraying the basics – name, school, contact info, my contact info) and printed contact info on a screen or two.

Reason: A coach will want to make sure you are not a moron. Blunt, but completely true. You don’t have to recite a soliloquy but they should be able to tell you have a pulse. They will also want to know who to contact (you, your email, possible cell, my name and info, school, HS coach and his info). That is it. No need to put other nonsense (speeds, maxes and such as you are probably just lying anyway). You will want to put my info so they can you use me as a credible source. Some randoms info is going to be worthless to you as a coach won’t trust them. They will want someone that will be dead honest with them….hint, hint: me.

3. Your highlight tape should be a heavy majority of punts and NOT pats.

Reason: A monkey can do a pat. They aren’t that big a deal. The speed of the punt is what they are going to want to see. Ratio should be about 95% punts & the views should be from a front/side angle and total side view. They will want to see if there is an arch (arch = usually needs more speed). Please note: put your best snaps first!!! If you don’t catch their interest right off the bat, you are done.

4. Your highlight tape should show live snaps and practice footage.

Reason: Game footage is obvious and I always recommend to have some practice snaps because it lets them see your body without pads. Also, it will allow them to see your form and you blocking (yes, you need to put those) a bit clearer and, if you can do it, you can put running tape on of some snaps. That is a huge win. Plus, if you have been to some quality camps, you are most likely better now than you were during the season. Improvement is a good thing.

5. Your highlight tape should be between three and ten minutes.

Reason: Your audience will be males. Males lose focus quickly. You don’t grab their attention pretty quick and you are going to have a huge loss on your plate. The only way I approve of a longer highlight tape if it is just ridiculously good (you’ll see what I mean at the end of this blog).

6. Your highlight tape should have no sound after you speak. NO MUSIC or RANDOM SPRAY

Reason: It is incredibly annoying and it just gets muted anyway. Trust me, I see hundreds per year and none of them have had the volume turned up. Please note: no one has actually had the guts to put on some silky smooth sounds of Lou Rawls or Teddy P so that might be the reason for immediate muting.
Reason: No one wants to hear a mom yelling, dad cheering, grandma hitting someone with her cane (sorry, flashback) or any words written (.71 for 15 yards!). They, a coach, won’t even look at it and will just end up calling someone they can trust to get a time.

7. Your highlight tape does NOT need to be done by world class professionals. A couple of the best ones I have viewed were done on pretty cheap standard video cameras.

Reason: audience is males and they want a bottom line. It doesn’t have to be Avatar.

8. Your highlight tape should focus on Long Snapping. Sounds basic enough, but you’d be surprised.

Reason: You want them to know how great a Long Snapper you are first and foremost. If you are going to show them highlights of another position or sport, they better be just that…HIGHLIGHTS. You want them to see something extraordinary, not just ordinary and it should be placed after your Long Snapping portion.

9. Your highlight tape should be edited well. Meaning, not a lot of wasted time on it. Example: waiting for thirty seconds on each snap while the punter remembers when to move his hands to be ready for your glorious snap or watching the returner run for a touchdown.

Reason: Again, your audience is males and they have short attention sp…..hey, look at that bird….just kidding, but you get my point…I hope.

10. Your highlight tape should be reviewed by someone who knows what the college coaches will want.

Reason: Simple, you want them to be pleased right off the bat and not wanting more or less.

Here are examples of a couple great ones….

Hope this helps and I look forward to a plethora of great highlight tapes….finally:)
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Filed Under: Article Archives, Deep Snapper, High School, Long Snapper, Motivation, Recruiting Tagged With: Bryce Haynes, highlight tape, Highlight Tape format, Highlight Tapes, Highlight Videos, long snapper, long snapping, Long Snapping Camp, LongSnapper, LongSnapping, Making a Highlight Tape, Rubio Long Snapper, Rubio long snapping, Scott Thompson

Rubio Long Snapper Trey Lamastus commits to the University of Alabama at Birmingham!

Look for Chase Dominguez to Excel at the Next Level!

Rubio Long Snapper Picks up Full Scholarship!

Here’s an excerpt of what’s being said about him:

Q & A about High School Football Recruiting

Making Sure You Are Ready for College

How to get Exposure as a High School Athlete

Adjusting to Something New

A Parent’s Role in Recruiting

How Recruiting is Like the Prom

Meet The TOP 12

How to be Recruited as a Long Snapper

What You Do….What They See

College Football Recruiting: Are You Dating, Engaged or Married?

How to Speak to a College Coach

How to Choose The Right College

Are You Helping or Hindering Your Athlete?

The Difference Between a Walk-On, a Preferred Walk-On and a Full Scholarship

Rubio Long Snapper Reid Ferguson Receives Full Ride Offer

10 Steps to Making a Great Highlight Tape for a Long Snapper

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