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Where Are They Now? Rubio Long Snapper PJ Tobyansen

September 22, 2015 By

1929591_574887992716_9507_nFor the next installment of “Where Are They Now?” we head to Southern California to hear from Rubio Long Snapper PJ Tobyansen (2006, CA). PJ was at UCLA with Rubio Long Snapper Christian Yount and is one of the most vibrant people you will ever meet and comes from an incredible family. Wait until you seen what he is doing now!

Check out what has been going on with Rubio Long Snapper PJ Tobyansen…

1.  What is your current occupation?

After my career at UCLA I have been working in the film industry in Los Angeles area and have done so for the past five years. My past employers have been Fox, Sony, and Marvel studios. I am currently working for Disney on the film The Jungle Book as a Visual Effects Coordinator for the past year and half. 

2. Where do you live?

I live with my wife Julie in Woodland Hills CA. We have been happily married for TWO months 🙂

3. Married/ Kids? Yes, no kids.

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

I have so many good memories that I would love to share about my time playing college football. But I will share two, meeting my wife for the first time at UCLA, and running out of tunnel at the Rose Bowl the very first game of my career. I will Never forget both of those memories.

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

For all current Rubio Long Snappers my one bit of advise would be the following. Work on the little things in life, and continue to strive for greatness. You made the right move and your a Rubio long snapper. Rubio hammers into each an everyone of his snappers muscle memory. IT WORKS, plan and simple. You don’t get good muscle memory if you don’t work on the little things and your fundamentals. Just continue to grow and  practice the little things, the little fundamentals, work work work. If you keep adding 1% to your game each day by practicing this approach you will see your results shine. And I can assure you it carries over into your professional life.

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

For all current Rubio Long Snapper parents my advice would be patients, TRUST RUBIO he is a wise wise man.

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

The last time I snapped a football is actually a very funny story. The day before my wedding Friday June 26, 2015. Kai Forbath (Washington Redskins) who I grew up with and played football in HS and College. We were hanging out in my hotel suite and just messing around and catching up. My dad had a football there and Kai was begging me to snap to him for old time sake. Just to see if I still had it. I reluctantly agreed, thinking to myself man its been almost THREE years since the last time I snapped a football. So we had a good stretch of carpet 15 yards all that you need. I fired my first snap back as hard as I could and almost destroyed the thermostat on the wall. Kai yells at me “PEEJ!! a little off there!!” I screamed back hahhaa ok!! just getting warmed up here, give me a second!! I made a little correction and fired the next 5 perfect snaps back to him. I still had it!! He calls my parents in and goes he still has it!! I said two words to my parents MUSCLE MEMORY. It probably helped that I had an adrenaline rush going because it was the day before my wedding but I’ll take it!

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

If I could go back and play college football again, even tho I did not play, I would still go to UCLA as preferred walk-on. I was a part of a GREAT TEAM, It was the best time of my life. I met my wife and made great memories with team mates and friends that will last me a life time. I also get the greatest kick out of telling my co-workers and friends that two out of the three players in my position group at UCLA play currently  in the NFL, and yes I was the 3rd that didn’t make it. I’m so proud of those guys, and proud to be a Bruin!

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

I have no regrets about my choices in college I would do it the exact same way. I worked very hard to contribute to the team. I learned a lot from my time as a student athlete and I am very grateful and so fortunate to have done so.

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

The most tremendous thing that I have been apart of since my graduation from UCLA would be first and foremost my Wedding two months ago to Julie who was a former student athlete and national champion 3rd baseman for the UCLA softball team. It was the greatest moment in my life. Second would be my career I have worked on some of the greatest movies to come out over the last five years. I have worked on the following movies Jack the Giant Slayer, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Star Trek into Darkness, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Solider, Guardians of The Galaxy, and now The Jungle Book. Every movie feels like a new a season and a tremendous experience.  

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Humor, Maturity, Motivation, Parenting, Relationships, Where Are They Now? Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Questions a Preferred Walk-On Should Ask

April 3, 2014 By

As you know from THIS blog, a Long Snapper is recruited either as a full scholarship athlete, a preferred walk-on or just a walk on. They are all very different.

A long time Rubio Long Snapping parent, Mike Frese (older son, Nolan,  is starting on scholarship at the University of Houston, after being a preferred walk-on and his younger son, Jordan, will be a preferred walk-on at Texas A&M this fall) sent me some questions that his sons used during the recruiting process and asked me if I would like to share them with other parents and Long Snappers. They are great, so I am and I will even give some insight on each.

1. Who is on the roster that snaps (besides starter ________) Do any position players snap? What year are they, are they on scholarship? Is ________ on scholarship? This is a great starter question as it shows you are serious and want to know who your competition is. If other position players do snap, watch them and see how much they actually do. If they RARELY do it, don’t worry as they won’t be ready. 

2. Will I be on the 105?  The 105 (you should know this if you read the other blog that I already linked to!) is the number of athletes they can bring in the first wave (think the first day of Hell Week). If you are on this, that is a very good sign. If you are not, might be a code red.

3. How many LS make travel team? They will usually take two. If they have someone that can get the ball back there that plays another position, they may only take one as this guy can fill in if all hell breaks loose during a game. (Head’s Up to Coaches – THIS PLAN DOESN’T WORK!)

4. If I’m on 2 deep but not starting (redshirt) would I still travel? See answer to #3

5. Are you recruiting any other  LS for this year? They may or may not be honest with you on this one. Odds are they will take two preferred walk-ons and let you battle for the spot. Why not? It would be like having two hot, girls who are paying for the date fight to see who gets you. Win, win.

6. Will the program assist in my application & enrollment? This should be a definite YES! If it is not, they most likely aren’t too into you.

7. Housing? Food? Parking? What will it cost my parents? Any differences between for walk-ons from scholarship players? A scholarship player shouldn’t have to pay a thing while the preferred walk-on will have to cover it all. What you are essentially asking in this question is, as a preferred walk-on, would you be able to pay to eat with the team at training table, live with the team in the same dorms and get the same parking as the athletes on full scholarship.

8. How soon can I be on scholarship when I earn starting job? (Best & worst case scenarios) Best, right away and this is why you will start to hear the term “NON-RECRUITED WALK-ON.” If you hear this, it means they want to be able to put on scholarship ASAP once you start (think within days) while if you are a “RECRUITED WALK-ON” you will most likely have to wait until next quarter, semester or school year. Usually, if you start the whole season, you get it right after and if you are coming in after the starter graduates in the fall, they will usually run you through the gauntlet in Spring Ball to see if you can handle the pressure and deserve it.

9. When do u need me to decide/commit? When I decide, what are the next steps in the process? This should be your basic stuff….stop taking trips to schools, be proud of your commitment, get ready to start working hard (they will usually send you workout plan)

10. When are spring practices? Can I come watch one? If they say no, they don’t like you…AT ALL.

11. When will summer school start (summer workouts). Do you want me then? You want them to say yes and you should definitely go. It will show you are dedicated and determined. 

Hope this helps and feel free to comment below if you have any other questions.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Coaches, College, High School, Long Snapper, Motivation, Recruiting Tagged With: , , , , , ,

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

May 16, 2011 By
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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,