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Name: Matt Keller
Position: Long snapper
Year: Freshman (second semester)
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 213
Hometown: Willow Street, Pa.
High School: Penn Manor
2014 Stats: As a senior defensive end, he had 26 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery for his high school team. He was an Under Armour All-American at long snapper and made the Eastern Pennsylvania Football Big School first team.
2015 Projections: Keller could earn a starting job, but he'll have to beat returning long snappers Keith Mitsuuchi and Nathan Hines. It's an open battle after four-year starter and senior captain Sam Rodgers graduated this season. The coaching staff told Keller when he committed that he would get a chance to compete for the job. Right now, he's queued up as the starter.
How'd He Get Here: He verbally committed in December after taking his official visit and then enrolled in January. Keller drew interest from North Carolina, Louisville and Texas Tech, but his only offer came from Syracuse despite being the top-ranked long snapper in the country by Kohl's Kicking.
What'd Recruiting Sites Say: 2-stars from Scout and Rivals.
Money Quote: "The combination of coaching staff, academics and the level of football that they're playing is incredible," Keller said. "I think it's unmatched."
Links of Wonder: Scout's Mike McAllister has a solid feature about Keller, who explains why Syracuse is a good fit.
"The coaching staff is a real honest staff," Keller said. "Everyone there has been tremendous to me but I really like the feel of the campus. It's not too different than where I'm from. It's not really in the city and it's a little suburban."
Twitterfeed: @MKeller51
Tweets of Wonder:
Off to Syracuse University! Happy I got to see everyone before I took off. Thanks for the memories...there are more to be made!
— Matt Keller (@MKeller51) January 10, 2015
What Does Shafer Think of Him:
"They are invaluable, that's why the NFL pays them a lot of money." @Coach_Shafer on long snapper Matt Keller #CuseNSD15
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) February 4, 2015
Interesting Nugget O'Interest: If you look closely at a photo of Matt Keller, there's a strange resemblance to the long snapper he's replacing.
Let's Get A Good Look Atcha: