San Diego State's Battle at Long Snapper

When San Diego State long snapper Aaron Brewer (2008-2011) graduated and went to the NFL as a snapper with the Denver Broncos, he left a large hole in the Aztecs special teams. Brewer played in 50 career college games and tied for most in school history. His departure left behind some big shoes to fill for SDSU’s special teams coach Kevin McGarry. But McGarry, it seems, has a couple of players with some very big feet.

Brandon Koletsky is one of those and right now he is branded as the starting snapper after spring ball. The 6-2, 225 pound sophomore out of Campbell Hall High, Encino, California, was an all-Alpha League selection his junior and senior years, and named second-team all-CIF. After graduating, Koletsky walked on at San Diego State in 2010, hoping to take over the spot Brewer left in 2011. Koletsky made the Aztec’s travel squad that year and then redshirted for the season. He watched from the sidelines as long snappers Hunter Christensen, 6-2, 195 lbs, and Jeff Oberbaugh battled for starter which Overbaugh eventually won.

Koletsky, Christensen and Overbaugh are all very talented players and are graduates of Rubio Long Snapping. Koletsky was in the 2010 class, Christensen the 2011 class, and Overbaugh was in the 2012 class where he was ranked #3 in the country.

The top ranked Overbaugh, 6-2, 240 lbs., is a snapper out of Anchorage, Alaska, and earned SDSU's first ever scholarship offered to a true freshman long snapper. He went 105 for 105 in all snap attempts during the 2012 seasonal play. Overbaugh was also selected for the 2012 Mountain West Fall All-Academic team (SDU only). For all those reasons it should have given him the edge as the projected 2013 starting snapper following spring ball.

But it has been reported here before just how hard it is to master the long snapper position. The skill and athletic ability it takes is nothing short of extraordinary because snappers have to be adept in many positions other than center such as offensive linesman, blocker, and defender. More importantly, a snapper has to be accurate in throwing a ball 15 yards from an upside down position at the same time he is being hit, shoved and body-slammed by up to a half ton of charging opposing linemen.

With so much SDSU snapper talent wanting that kind of action, you have to think the battle for the starting spot is still far from over. The one thing about college football is that nothing is ever chiseled in stone. That is why the interest in the Aztecs’ fall camp in San Diego is bound to bring some serious competition between a small group of very, very good long snappers.