As a graduate of Notre Dame’s prestigious Mendoza College of Business — ranked No. 2 nationally by Bloomberg Businessweek in 2016 among undergraduate programs — 2013-16 Fighting Irish starting long-snapper Scott Daly is eyeing a promising future as a management consultant or financial advisor.
Before engaging in that pursuit, Daly’s first financial advice was to give himself an opportunity to make an NFL roster. Helping advise him in that process has been 2005-07 Notre Dame long-snapper J.J. Jansen, who just completed his ninth season in the NFL.
After making the Green Bay Packers roster in 2008, Jansen latched on with the Carolina Panthers the next season and has made his home there since then, signing a four-year, $3.6-million deal in 2012 and then a five-year deal on Feb. 17, 2016 for an estimated $5.5-million.
It’s hardly a “snap” to make it in the NFL, but the chance to be so well compensated for such a specialty role can’t be bypassed. That's why the 6-2, 248-pound Daly was among 10 former Notre Dame players working out for NFL scouts at the March 23 Pro Day on campus.
Once upon a time, long-snappers used to also play other positions on the football team, a la former Fighting Irish starting offensive linemen such as Tim Grunhard from 1986-89, or in the 1990s there were linemen such as Mark Zataveski, Ryan Leahy, or starting tight end Dan O’Leary (who also snapped in the NFL).
Then at the turn of the century, walk-ons such as John Crowther and Jansen, among others, began taking on the specialty role. Finally, in 2009 Notre Dame awarded the school’s first full scholarship to a freshman recruit, Jordan Cowart, whose job exclusively was to long-snap.
Cowart started all four years (2009-12), and Daly was signed in 2012, the year he redshirted while serving as an emergency backup plan — just like current freshman John Shannon did in 2016 before taking on what is expected to be the long-snapping role the next four years from 2017-20.
A native of Downers Grove, Ill., Daly starred at tight end for South High School and received Division III offers at that position, but his head coach, Mark Wiggins, instantly recognized Daly’s skills as a long-snapper. Soon, Daly was working with Chris Rubio, the guru of his field who ranked Daly the nation’s No. 1 long-snapper for the 2012 recruiting campaign.
“It was surreal to think that I could get a full-ride scholarship to be able to snap a ball between my legs, and now I have the opportunity to possibly play at the next level,” said Daly after Notre Dame’s Pro Day.
“It’s really crazy. I think coaches are really taking into account how important a position that is — not just snappers but kickers and punters as well. Special teams are just as an important facet as offense and defense. No one knows who you are unless you really mess up, so you have to strive for perfection every single day.”
There were no snafus with Daly’s snaps the past four years, which is why anonymity is a long-snapper’s best friend. Placement, muscle memory, velocity (slower on field goals and extra points) and even the positioning of the football laces, are among the details for Daly, whose mental discipline was aided by taekwondo in grade school while his flexibility more recently has been enhanced through yoga.
“I love it,” Daly said. “It’s a very high pressure situation because you have to be perfect every single time. …Trying to be as consistent as possible is the biggest thing. Just making sure you’re making the holder’s job as easy as possible and the punter’s job as easy as possible, and just go out there and be perfect.”
Snapping in the NFL is more difficult because unlike in college, blocking also becomes a part of the game for long-snappers (a roughing-the-snapper call against North Carolina on Daly in 2014 was a turning point in Notre Dame’s 50-43 victory). Helping advise Daly in that role is 1998-2013 Chicago Bears long-snapper/center Patrick Mannelly.
The long-snapper most also be agile and athletic enough to get down the field and potentially make a tackle. Daly’s frame is virtually identical to Jansen’s 6-2, 245-pound physique, and his 20 bench press reps of 225 pounds and 5.14 time in the 40 might be passable for the next level. Individual workouts for teams will be pivotal, and Daly’s agent is Chicago attorney and Notre Dame graduate Joe Flanagan of BTI Sports.
“You have to be proactive, just like in the recruiting process,” Daly said. “Not everyone is looking for a long-snapper first when they’re going through the whole draft board, so you have to really make yourself known and try to stand out. It’s very hard to stand out when you have about 20 other legit long-snappers coming out of this draft.
“I try to be the whole package, try to be a great athlete, show them that I can move, that I can snap consistently, be able to run downfield and make tackles, and be big enough to withstand 300-pound guys coming at me.”
Hardly a snap, but well worth the effort and potential rewards.
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