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The RSI (Rubio Standard Index)

March 2, 2017 By

All Rubio Long Snapping camps will feature a shortened version of the VEGAS testing format. Once the Long Snapper has completed the test, they earn an RSI which is the fairest and most accurate way to judge a Long Snapper by numbers. Once you register, for a Rubio Long Snapping camp, a full, detailed explanation will be in your confirmation email.

Each Long Snapper will now be tested on The Rubio Long Snapping Target with one snap per section instead of three. Meaning, you get one regular snap, one block left, one block right, and one speed for both punt snaps and short snaps to total eight snaps. Therefore, at the end of testing, the RSI will be tripled to reveal the participants’ RSI for that particular camp. Trust me, I do get that a Regional Camp RSI will not be the exact same as a VEGAS Event RSI for several reasons (length of test, pressure of Vegas, etc.) but it will pretty darn close and definitely fair. 

The RSI is an excellent way for a participant to truly show how good of a Long Snapper they are as it balances the accuracy along with the speed of the ball, plus it will show how well the Long Snapper grows through each and every Rubio Long Snapping camp. Also, the RSI‘s will be posted on each Long Snappers profile after every camp they attend.  Please note: the RSI does not account for athleticism, spiral or mentality.

RSI‘s can range from zero to basically 90 (if a Long Snapper was to get a score 48 points and averaged .65 on their punt snaps). The highest score recorded was Karsten Battles at the summer 2017 TX Camp with an 86.96. The 12 finalists at VEGAS XXIX all had above 50’s on their RSI and that was a record. A 30 is usually pretty darn solid. 

Please Note: The RSI is not completely how your Rubio Long Snapping ranking will be calculated as there are many factors to being a great Long Snapper. The main things that each Long Snapper will be ranked on are the following:

  • Speed (should be less than .75 for a 15 yard punt snap)
  • Accuracy (all snaps should be in The Rubio Zone)
  • Consistency (a college coach is going to want to see how consistent you are with your speed…if you can snap a .75, your snaps should be right around there, well, consistently)
  • Mentality (how well do you handle pressure)
  • Athleticism (do you move well or does it look like you are in pain when moving)
  • Size (an ideal Long Snapper would be about 6’3″ and 235)
  • Spiral (does the ball look pretty, slice through the wind and easy to catch)
  • Blocking (will you be able to withstand a major college rush) If you have ever been to a Rubio Long Snapping Vegas Event, you know that one of the main parts of competition day is when each Long Snapper gets tested on The Rubio Long Snapping Target.

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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 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, Contest, Eligibility, Featured Posts, Long Snapper, Motivation, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Article & Rankings for the Class of 2018 Long Snappers from the NC & GA Camps

April 12, 2015 By

The rankings are completed for 2018 Long Snappers that participated in the Rubio Long Snapping Spring Camps in NC & GA!

Long Snappers in this class came out from FL, TN, SC, OH, VA & GA to get the best instruction and most exposure for young Long Snappers in the country.

Next update opportunity will be at the Rubio Long Snapping spring camp in IL on April 12th.

TOP FUTURE STARS

  • Jarrett Key was phenomenal in GA. He is a Long Snapper with a great attitude, form and the sky is the limit for him.
  • Parker Lefton was tremendous in GA. Ball was tight and he was snapping with excellent form.
  • Noah Turner was the top 2018 Long Snapper out of the NC Camp. He has great form and is snapping the ball with excellent confidence.
  • Keaton Prevette has improved a ton and doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
  • Owen Phillips came out and really impressed me with his speed.
  • Griffin Hicks was solid all day long in NC.
  • Clay James looked very good in GA. He has great form, is very coachable and headed in the right direction.

Notables: Max Durschlag, AJ Covan, Zach Hawkins, Spencer Mills, Bryson Enoch, Phillip Hatcher

KEY POINTS:

  • My rankings are NOT done just from The Rubio Target
  • My rankings are NOT done from some mathematical formula.
  • My rankings ARE done by me and only me. That is why they take a good amount of time. (Think of it this way, it takes MONTHS to build a Rolls Royce but only hours to build an average car)
  • My rankings are based off of this blog I wrote about what makes a Long Snapper great.
  • If you would like anything added to your profile page, simply email me (Rubio@RubioLongSnapping.com) the information and consider it done.
  • All Long Snappers are ranked after their first fall camp of their freshman year in high school.

A Long Snapper has the ability to adjust their ranking anytime I see them LIVE, not on video.

For the profiles section, simply go to RubioLongSnapping.com. click PLAYER PROFILES, click which class, click LONG SNAPPERS and find your name.

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

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

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Camp Reviews, College, Eligibility Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Top 7 Things a Coach Asks Me about a Possible Recruit….

January 29, 2013 By

How are his grades? (No grades, no college….pretty simple concept, I would hope)

What type of person is he? (Long Snappers have a lot of free time and they want someone they don’t have to worry about)

Would you let him date your daughter? (In other words, can they trust you)

Is he coachable? (Nothing upsets a coach more than someone who thinks they are better than coaching that hears what they are saying and not listening. Trust me, they, and I, know the staring through someone trick)

Do you think he has “it?” (If you don’t know about this, you don’t have “it”)

Does he have video on YouTube? (the only time they bring up another video service, like Brand H, it is with disgust and DVD’s are pretty much obsolete)

Would you hang out with him? (Pretty much rolls with #2, #3, #4 and #5)

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, they don’t ask too much about a recruit’s athletic ability. They will know all about that from talking to me and your football coach. A coach, at any level, and agents, will want to know about things that usually aren’t on paper since those things will play a major role, in the long run, in how you do on the field.

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

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

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Coaches, College, Deep Snapper, Eligibility, Freshman, High School, Long Snapper, Parenting, Recruiting, Relationships Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Q & A about High School Football Recruiting

November 29, 2012 By

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

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

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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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Making Sure You Are Ready for College

October 30, 2012 By

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?

 

 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 32162805_1690368751039248_6661371560290418688_o.jpg

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: A.C.T., Athlete, College, Eligibility, Graduating, Graduation, High School, Long Snapper, N.C.A.A., Recruiting, S.A.T. Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to get Exposure as a High School Athlete

October 15, 2012 By
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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Chris-Rubio-2Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world. Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

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

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Filed Under: Athlete, College, Eligibility, Exposure, Facebook, Featured Posts, Graduating, High School, N.C.A.A., Recruiting, S.A.T., Twitter, YouTube Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Parent’s Role in Recruiting

July 15, 2012 By

 

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_________________________________________________________________

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

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

Rubio_Card_frontMAGNET

 

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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: , , , , , , , , , ,

How to be Recruited as a Long Snapper

November 2, 2011 By
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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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 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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What is Grayshirting?

April 4, 2011 By
It pains me to say this, but it is true so I must. Long Snappers are usually the last to get recruited. Please take a moment to catch your breath and pick up all of the things you just threw in rage.
 
Since we are often so late to the dinner table of scholarship winners (of course, there are your exceptions that dominate early) coaches will often do whatever they can to get us a seat. This is where gray shirting comes in. According to NCAA.org, grayshirting is:
 
“Gray shirting” is a term used in the recruiting process to describe situations in which a student-athlete delays initial enrollment in a collegiate institution to the winter or spring term after the traditional academic year begins. Students who “gray shirt” often use the fall to take classes part time or choose not to enroll in college at all. “Gray shirting” is not a formal designation by the NCAA or the National Letter of Intent program. If you are interested in “gray shirting” and signing a National Letter of Intent, it is important to review the applicable NLI provisions and to be aware of the informal nature of this commitment.
 
Let me bottom line it for you, a school will want you to gray shirt if they have filled up all of their spots for their current recruiting class. That way they can bump you to the next class of recruits.Still hazy? Let me use an example. Say your uber athletic son is a Long Snapper (given) and he is in the class of 2012. He is outstanding and being heavily recruited because he has been coached well. All of a sudden a certain school makes a big move on him (trips, handwritten letters, phone calls from special teams coach and/or head coach). They want your son and they want to sign him on the dotted line (actually cant do that until Feb of his senior year, but work with me). The problem is they have already offered eleventeen position players (qbs, receivers, running backs, etc) and they are out of scholarships. What to do, what to do? Simple: gray shirt. They will now ask if this is something you are interested in. Your son would now, essentially, be their first recruit for the class of 2013. He would graduate like normal for his senior year (May/June) but wouldn’t report to his college until January (most report right after graduation if on scholarship to get some extra classes in and to do the “volunteer” workouts over the summer). I have had a couple of my kids (kids = my Long Snappers) do this and it does work…..with the right person. One of the more notable ones is Christian Yount of UCLA/Pro. He decided to gray shirt, instead of take the normal route, because UCLA really, really wanted him (well done) and he wanted to go there (as he should). It worked for both parties. There are some definite advantages and disadvantages. Here they are, in my opinion:
 
DISADVANTAGES:
  • Time off. Your son may think it is the best thing in the world that he will technically have off from graduation until he reports. That could be a nightmare for him and you. Imagine a six month long summer where he has no responsibility. Exactly.
  • Emotions. Many kids that do this have a tough time being the top dog (recruitment, newspapers, etc) to someone who is forgot about for six months. No football for some for that long of a time can be very difficult.
  • Staying in the groove of school. How many times have you heard someone say I am just going to take a semester off to get refreshed and then I am coming back full speed? I think we know the ending of that story nine times out of ten. School and football are usually a good thing for a kid since it gives them a routine. Get them off that routine and oh man.
  • Identity. Sometimes it takes some time for a Long Snapper to adapt to which class he essentially is in when he does report. Is he with his original class of 2012’s (all his age and grad year) or is he with the class he will be signed with (2013, younger but will do all the meetings with)?
ADVANTAGES:
  • Time off. It can be a good thing to let your body heal and really get ready for when you report. The coaches will expect you to be perfect (as they do with any Long Snapper of mine they are bringing in mind you….focus up). High School football can take a major toll on the body. Some coaches are just insane with their lengths of practices and that can be taxing on the old chassis.
  • Socially. You will have to adapt to being able not be a full on football player right off the bat. After speaking with Christian, he said this was huge for him as it forced him to socialize with non-football players while the team was traveling (hint, hint: girls)
  • School. If you do this and have some money available, the best thing is to actually enroll in classes (can’t be a full load) at the school you will be attending. This way you can get a major jump on the rest of the kids in your class (2013 at this point) and you should EASILY be able to graduate on time, and if worked correctly, should be able to get your Masters on their dime. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
  • School again. Say the money is not obtainable, you can still take JC classes local to you as long as it is not a full load. More units for you to walk into college with. Win.
  • School again again. Getting there a bit early and not having to deal with football right off the bat, can really make a difference in getting comfortable with the workload. Anyone that has played a sport and gone to school at the same time can tell you it can be quite daunting. Doing a gray shirt gives you training wheels for the first quarter or two since you don’t have football to get in your way.
  • Maturity. You will have to get into the mature groove very quickly with the schooling system. You won’t have the football program to help you here. You will have to set up your classes and you usually won’t have tutors at your side until you are officially with the team (January)
  • Injury. Say you do get injured, you still have your redshirt year in your back pocket. Side note, if you gray shirt and redshirt, you better get your Masters or I won’t talk to you ever again…especially since they are paying for it!
  • Coaches. They will love you even more if you actually do end up doing this and going in early (basically with the rest of the 2012 class) but just don’t do any activities with them as a team. You would have to be very self-motivated and responsible (welcome to being an adult, suck it up!). You would be able to work out and be on the field with the guys…..just not at the exact official times as the team. For instance, the team works out from 4-6 pm and you would have to work out from 2-4. Coaches love this dedication and trust me they notice.
Bottom line, gray shirting is something that can work IF done by the right person. It can definitely be brought up to a coach as another way for you to become a player on their team and become another dominant Rubio Long Snapper in college.
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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 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 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 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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