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Name: J. Sam Rodgers (Yes, the "J." is supposed to be there)
Position: Long Snapper
Year: Senior
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 231
Hometown: State College, PA
High School: Mercersburg Academy
2013 Stats: Rodgers played in all 13 games last season. That's about it for stats when you're a long snapper.
2014 Projections: He's projected to do the long snapping again. Yep.
How'd He Get Here: Rodgers was invited to be a preferred walk-on at Penn State, UConn, and Ohio State, but chose Syracuse when he was offered a scholarship.
What'd Recruiting Sites Say: Two stars from Rivals, but nothing from Scout.
Money Quote: On what it's like to play this position:
You have to be humble to be a long snapper. Going into it, it's not like I expect (praise). You just get enough satisfaction doing your job well and not getting mentioned.
Links Of Wonder: He was nominated to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Teams in 2013 and 2014 in honor of his significant involvement in various community service endeavors.
Twitterfeed: Check him out @samJohnThree17
Tweets Of Wonder:
Northwestern Mutual internship fast track training. Time to learn about this thing grown ups call having money
— Sam Rodgers (@samJohnThree17) January 8, 2014
What Does Shafer Think Of Him: Not so sure, but according to former coach John Anselmo, long snappers are of prime importance:
The second seat on the plane always went to the long snapper (after the quarterback). That's how coaches think of long snappers. If you don't have a long-snapper, you have a problem.
Interesting Nugget O'Interest: Rodgers also played linebacker and defensive line in high school. He began to focus on his skills as a long snapper when coaches told him that refining that ability might open some doors to play in college.
Let's Get A Good Look Atcha: Instead of highlights, here's a nice shot of Sam and Shafer:
