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Florida State received a commitment from a long-snapper over the weekend. He'll be on scholarship, and is an FSU legacy. Since I know absolutely nothing about evaluating long-snappers, I was glad to receive some information on Stephen Gabbard from his coach, Bret Culbertson, of Kolhs Kicking.
Gabbard is from Tallahassee (Fla.) Godby, and is an FSU legacy (Steve Gabbard). Gabbard is 6'2 and 220 pounds, and is fairly athletic, so he can play on multiple special teams. FSU has had a snapper on scholarship since 2011, and it looks like that will continue. The practice is not uniform across college football, but it is commonplace.
The following is from Culbertson.
Our Lead Snapping Instructor and National Evaluator Kevin Garvoille has him listed in our rankings as No.2 in the nation as a 5-star snapper.
Coach Garvoille chooses the snappers who play in the UnderArmour All-America Game on ESPN as well as the Semper-Fidelis All-American Game. Steven has a legitimate shot at landing one of these games by competing for a spot at our National Scholarship Camp at the end of July.
Here's some content you're welcome to use if you're in need at all. I've attached a photo of Stephen from our Underclassman Challenge this past January which featured the best underclassmen from across the country.
QUOTES:
"Stephen has a tremendous upside as a snapper. He has the combination of accuracy and speed that every big-time football program is looking for. His length and athletic ability allow him to perform at the highest levels. He also has one of the strongest mentalities out of any athlete I have had the opportunity to work with. When it's time to compete he puts everything on the table."
-- Kevin Garvoille, Lead Snapping Instructor & National Evaluator for Kohl's Snapping Camps
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION & NOTES:
Stephen had a great 2013 Underclassman Challenge as he scored 42/45 points with a 1st place finish. He finished camp with a .71 second average snap time and 11 LS through the target. Stephen has good levers and snaps the ball with good velocity. He attended the 2012 National Scholarship Camp in July where he improved as the camp went on as he connected on 4/5 in his final charting session. Stephen runs well and will continue to improve his strength over the next couple of years. Stephen finished the 2012 December Showcase Event with a final score of 44/46 and a second place finish. He scored on all 15 long snaps while putting 8 through the target. Stephen finished camp with an average snap time of .72 seconds and went 15/15 on his short snaps.