The 11W Community Interview is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people. You submit the questions, vote on them, and then we pass the top ones on to the biggest names in the world of Ohio State athletics.
When Jim Tressel decided to offer long-snapper Bryce Haynes a scholarship way back in 2011, it was a rarity. Roster space is tight when confronted with an 85-man roster but the Buckeyes – as usual – were ahead of the curve when it came to specializing in specialists. With Haynes about to enter his final season in Columbus, Urban Meyer's Buckeyes are prepared to copy the blueprint and signed Worthington Kilbourne's Liam McCullough, the country's best at the position in the 2015 class.
Wisconsin, Michigan State and Kentucky also offered the Columbus native, but the chance to stay close to home and play for his childhood favorite was too great a lure to pull the 6-foot-2, 220-pound McCullough anywhere else.
Today McCullough answers your questions in the 11W Community Interview.
What meant the most to you in the way you were recruited? – ToTheHouse
LM: While I was being recruited, everybody made me feel like family. From Coach Meyer and the other coaches, all the way to the players. Everyone was welcoming and helpful in answering questions.
What did you like about Ohio state the most besides athletics? – Magic Conch Shell
LM: Besides football, the most important factor for me in choosing Ohio State was the academics. Since I was little I've always wanted to be a doctor and Ohio State has a phenomenal undergraduate reputation and an even better medical school, which were both very important to me. That was one of the deciding factors.
Obviously, long snapper is a position often overlooked in the whole scheme of a football game by the casual observer unless a bad snap is made. How do you motivate yourself day in and day out to have the discipline to get better at a craft that typically goes unnoticed when you perform it perfectly? And also, at any point is/was there talk of a gray-shirt for 2015? – CosmoKramer
LM: There is a rather large amount of pressure on a long snapper when you're on the field, and that is probably the biggest motivation to perfect your craft. At most other positions, if you make a mistake or have a bad play, you have multiple downs left to correct yourself. As a long snapper, you have one shot to go out and be perfect. If you mess up badly enough, it could completely change the course of the game (giving up field position or even a touchdown). That is more than enough motivation to be perfect. As for the gray shirt conversation, it has not taken place at any point in time.
When did you start long snapping? What drew you to the position? – ScarletNortherner
LM: I started snapping in the fifth grade, in youth booster football, realistically because "somebody had to do it." I volunteered, excelled at it, and enjoyed it. I continued snapping throughout middle school and was extended the opportunity to snap for my high school's varsity team as a freshman by my head coach Vince Trombetti. After my freshman season, I began training with long snapping instructor Chris Rubio to perfect my craft, and the rest is history.
Being from Worthington, did you ever entertain the possibility of going to another school or was it always Ohio State? – FatPants
LM: Growing up as a kid in Central Ohio, I had always watched the Buckeyes on Saturdays and dreamed of one day playing in the 'Shoe. I think that's every Ohio kid's dream at some point. I had definitely considered going to other schools throughout my recruitment, especially after discovering how many schools were in need of a snapper. But after receiving my offer from Ohio State and taking my visits around campus, to the Medical Center, and of course to the 'Shoe on game day, I knew Ohio State was the place for me. It felt like home.
What advice would you give to a young kid who was interested in earning a D-I scholarship as a long snapper? – GumTape
LM: Go after it! Start early. All of the form work to become a great long snapper can be done in a bathroom without a ball, you don't necessarily need a football field. Get involved with a snapping instructor, such as Chris Rubio, and attend their regional camps to learn the technique. Work your butt off stretching to become more flexible, and doing your form drills to lock the technique down. Put together a highlight tape of your in-season snaps and send it to as many universities as you care to. During the summer, attend as many college specialist camps as possible so the coaches can see you snap in person.
Which of your other Elite 15 classmates do you think you're closest with? – MichaelEagleBuckeye
LM: As a class, we have all come together and have been really close. We have a group text that we all talk in and we see each other and hang out when we take visits to campus. I got to spend a lot of time with the other commits that played in the Army Bowl back in January, but overall as a class we're really tight.
What is the training process for a long snapper? – KiddBuckeye
LM: A normal training session for a long snapper isn't very long — usually around 30 minutes – if it's strictly a snapping workout. The first 25 minutes should be spent on stretching and form work, with repetition and muscle memory being the focus, all without a ball. The last 5 minutes is spent live snapping with a ball, and fine tuning any mistakes or issues with form. A good goal is 20-25 good snaps. Too many more than that and you'll wear yourself out and compromise your form.
Hopefully you won't hear much about me for the next four years, because if you do, it probably means I messed up.
What did you have to prove all around to the coaches in your abilities as being a long snapper besides being able to snap a ball long? – AllInOSU
LM: When coaches recruit a long snapper, or any specialist for that matter, they don't want to have to worry about you. They expect you to come in and be a perfectionist. That's why they recruit you. What else coaches look for in a long snapper varies depending on the school, coach, and scheme. Coaches can be looking for any combination of size, strength, speed, and athleticism to fit their scheme. As for Coach Meyer and Ohio State, there is a large emphasis on punt coverage, so speed and athleticism are important, more so than other attributes.
How far and fast can you snap a football? Did you play another position in high school? – MacG91
LM: When it comes to long snapping, all punt snaps are taken at 15 yards, so I have never tested myself to see how far I can snap a ball. Snapping speed, on the other hand, is a major factor in long snapping. My fastest time I have ever had measured for a 15 yard snap is .52 seconds, which translates to 59 mph. My sophomore and junior years in high school I also played offensive tackle, and as a freshman and senior I played tight end.
Longsnappers have pretty long NFL careers. Did that have anything to do with you choosing to become one? – LuckyNutz
LM: In the beginning, no. It wash't until around two years ago when I decided that I wanted to snap in the NFL one day, and looked into career length, salaries, injury percentage, and things like that. I can tell you I was pleasantly surprised about each of those.
How did your relationship with Ohio State develop? When did you believe that an offer from Ohio State could actually happen? Did it surprise you? - ThePelican
LM: My relationship with Ohio State began the summer after my freshman year at Ohio State's specialist camp. I had sent my highlight film and reached out to Coach (Kerry) Coombs a few times and attended the camp and got to snap for he and Coach Meyer. The next summer at camp I was offered a preferred walk-on opportunity, and was told that Coach Meyer had never offered a snapper and wasn't planning on doing so. Two days later I received my first two scholarships, and a week later my third. I called Coach Coombs and Coach Meyer and we began to discuss our options more and at that point I set a goal to earn an offer from Ohio State.
I would like to thank everyone who has followed and covered my recruitment the past three years and thank Buckeye Nation for welcoming me with open arms into this family. It has been a great journey. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter any time with questions about snapping or recruiting. Hopefully you won't hear much about me for the next four years, because if you do, it probably means I messed up. Go Bucks!
