This evening, The Patrick Mannelly Award announced the 10 semi-finalist long snappers for this year’s Award. The Award, now in its fifth year, will be given at a live ceremony and dinner outside of Chicago, Illinois on December 9, 2023.
Below are the 10 snappers that will be narrowed to 3 finalists on November 27, 2023. The distinguished Selection Committee for the Award will carefully review the film and bios of the final 3 to help select the winner.
All three of last year’s finalists signed NFL contracts and winner Chris Stoll (Seahawks) and runner-up Alex Ward (Rams) both made rosters as rookies.
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There will finally be a change at the snapping position but it will happen in Week Ten. Scott Daly of the Lions was injured on the final snap in Week Eight and will require knee surgery. Veteran Jake McQuaide, who was in camp with the Lions, was added to the practice squad and should be activated next Sunday since the Lions had a bye this week.
While not directly related to snapping, there were some unique accomplishments with kickers in Week Nine. Cowboys rookie Brandon Aubrey broke an NFL record by making his first 19 field goal attempts to start his career. Aubrey is 28 years old and was a software engineer before giving the NFL a shot after a pro soccer career in the MLS and time in the USFL. Josh Lambo, who kicked for the Chargers and Jaguars, had a similar path from playing pro soccer in the MLS to the NFL.
Texans running back Dare Ogunbowale became the first position player since Wes Welker in 2004 to kick a field goal in an NFL game. After regular kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn suffered a quad injury in the second quarter, Ogunbowale took over kicking duties and kicked a 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Two snappers recorded tackles in punt coverage as Zach Triner (Buccaneers) had a solo tackle and Luke Rhodes (Colts) added an assisted tackle.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Nine is below.
Week Eight is complete and the long snapping position remains a model of consistency. Once again, there were no major performance issues or known injuries.
With such stability, tackles are about the only news to report, so four snappers recorded tackles in punt coverage this week. Thomas Hennessy (Jets) had two assisted tackles, while Mitchell Fraboni (Broncos) added a solo stop. Christian Kuntz (Steelers) and Jacob Bobenmoyer (Raiders) each tallied an assisted tackle.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Eight is below.
We are seven weeks into the NFL season and the snapping position continues to be stable and without any changes.
The most notable snapping event this week was likely created by Myles Garrett of the Browns, who leaped over Colts’ long snapper Luke Rhodes to block a 60-year field goal attempt. Recall any contact with the snapper would have been a penalty.
Garrett was asked about the difficulty of making the leap without making any contact with the snapper and he offered this great quote, “Depends if you’re me or not…If you’re me, it’s another day at the office.”
Two snappers recorded tackles in punt coverage this week and both are from UCF. Charley Hughlett (Browns) and Alex Ward (Rams) each had an assisted tackle. For Ward, it was the first tackle of his career.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Seven is below.
There are two notable changes that will directly impact college and pro long snappers looking to play in the NFL in 2024.
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, created in 2012, will not happened this year, although it promises to return in a different format. The NFL has also made changes to the rules for conducting college all-star games that could impact the opportunities for snappers. As of now, the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl remain the top options for senior college snappers looking to play at the next level. Other options include The College Gridiron Showcase and Hula Bowl.
Snappers have also benefited from securing game experience at professional leagues below the NFL, like the USFL and XFL. In recent years, the XFL helped launch NFL careers for Scott Daly, Nick Moore and Christian Kuntz. The USFL helped Mitchell Fraboni get to the NFL as well. These two leagues just announced they are merging. That combination, scheduled to debut in 2024, will likely reduce the number of teams, but increase and consolidate the talent.
As a result of these two important changes, the landscape for college and pro snappers with a desire to make the NFL will be different in 2024. However, despite these developments, all-star games and the newly-combined spring league remain some of the best options to impress NFL talent evaluators.
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Week Six was similar to prior weeks this NFL season at the snapping position. There were no major performance issues or injuries and the position remains remarkably stable and consistent.
So, at least for now, tackles are the only real news. Mitchell Fraboni of the Broncos had an assisted tackle and the first forced fumble by a snapper this year. Joe Cardona (Patriots) and Josh Harris (Chargers) added solo tackles, while Charley Hughlett (Browns) recorded an assisted tackle.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Six is below.
Week Five of the NFL season is complete and the position remains stable. Andrew DePaola of the Vikings suffered an apparent ankle injury late in Sunday’s game but was able to return.
Three snappers recorded tackles in punt coverage this week, as client Liam McCullough (Falcons) had a solo tackle and an assist, while Trent Sieg (Cowboys) had a solo tackle and Christian Kuntz (Steelers) recorded an assisted tackle to give him three total tackles on the year.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Five is below.
Week Four of the NFL season is complete and the snapping position remains stable and without any changes since the start of the season.
Atlanta worked out snappers Tucker Addington, Jack Coco and Jake McQuaide, while Pittsburgh worked out Addington and Carson Tinker.
Four snappers had tackles in punt coverage during Week Four led by Luke Rhodes of the Colts who had a tackle and an assist. James Winchester (Chiefs) and Casey Kreiter (Giants) had solo tackles and Zach Wood (Saints) added an assisted tackle.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Four is below.
Week Three of the NFL season is complete and was largely uneventful for snappers. Normally reliable Joe Cardona did have some short snapping issues for the Patriots but there have been no snapping changes since the start of the season.
As expected, the Commanders worked out five snappers last week but did not sign one. The snappers were Tucker Addington, Jake McQuaide, Bradley Robinson, Rex Sunahara and Carson Tinker.
Three snappers recorded tackles in punt coverage this week, with Tyler Ott (Ravens) and JJ Jansen (Panthers) recording solo tackles and Jacob Bobemoyer (Raiders) adding an assisted tackle.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Three is below.
We are a few weeks into the 2023 college football season, so it is the perfect time to debut Longsnap.com’s exclusive compilation of the long snapper for each FBS team.
As usual, the list is sorted by conference and includes the snapper’s uniform number, height, weight and class year.
Note that some teams still do not publish an official depth chart, while others listed two snappers or divide the punt and placement snaps between two players. In each case, the chart includes the punt snapper that was listed as the starter for the first game of the season.
If there are any significant errors or corrections, please let me know at kevingold@longsnap.com
