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WHEELING – Shane Tomlin wasn’t the biggest player on the St. Clairsville football roster during his junior and senior seasons, but he wanted to play. So he turned to long-snapping and it has led him to Saturday’s 2023 FreeAgentFootball.com Pro-Pouch Senior Bowl as a member of the South team.
In addition to the Wheeling University senior, the Cardinals defensive Coordinator, Mott Gaymon will serve as head coach of the South team.
“I was approached by Coach G and he told me the selection committee was interested in me, so I contacted them and ended up getting an invite,” Tomlin explained of the selection process.
Tomlin’s journey to the event, which is being played at Faller Field in Middleton, N.Y., home field for the Middletown High School football team, has been a long and arduous one.
“I was really under-sized in high school. I had a real late growth spurt, so snapping was just a way I could get on the field,” Tomlin said. “It was a position that didn’t care about size or anything like that. Then it went from just a way to get on the field to getting some college interest.
“I told myself that this was something that I could do. All it was going to take was hard work.”
The 220-pounder didn’t receive one college scholarship offer and eventually walked on at NCAA Division III powerhouse Mount Union. He was a member of the 2018 national runner up Purple Raiders.
“I got to play on ESPN a couple of times and in some really big games while at Mount Union. It was a great experience for me.
“We didn’t end up winning, but being around that winning culture really helped me when I came here. The way the players handled themselves and such.”
Tomlin said he’d like to get a chance to take his talent to the next level.
“Ideally, the goal would be to play at the highest level possible. That’s always been my ultimate goal.”
He said this game is all about one thing.
“All I want to do this weekend is get my name out there, get some exposure and get some tape out to people,” he stressed.
“I’d also like to get some recognition for, not only myself, but for Wheeling University, as well, and what kind of people we have here.”
Being a long snapper brings not much recognition, except if you make a bad snap.
“That’s kind of what I like about it,” he noted.
Tomlin is also a Rubio long snapping certified instructor, taking a 12-week course.
“He’s the guy (Mike) when it comes to long snapping in high school. I wanted to be around someone professional that could train me. I had a really good experience with him and his instructors at his camps, it’s really what helped me to love snapping.
“I give lessons to a couple of kids from Wheeling Central – Wyatt Bratten who is at West Liberty snapping and Wyatt Brady who is only a sophomore but can go on and do big things. Then there’s Eli Tucker, a placekicker from Wheeling Central who I’ve been in touch with.”
Tomlin said he loves to see local specialists go on and do big things at the college level.
“As a long snapper, you can practice by yourself. All you need is a football, a helmet and some shoulder pads. I have all of them in my car. I go out to the field and snap to the goalpost.
“The key is consistency. I can teach anyone in an hour how to snap the ball back in the general vicinity of the punter or holder, but it’s all about doing it consistently and with accuracy. That’s what sets people apart.”
He said the required snap time is not very long.
“We actually call it snap-to-kick,” he explained. “The ideal time is 1.2 seconds and that’s a very hi level – (NCAA) Division I or NFL.”
My fastest last season was 1.12.
“I would like to thank my parents, Nick and Julie, for the best support system I could’ve had. They were so supportive. They believed in me the whole way.”
Gaymon has been a member of head coach Zac Bruney’s staff since the program’s beginnings in 2018 and has captained the Cardinal’s defensive effort. Under his watch, the team has allowed an average of 26 points per game or less in each of his six seasons at the helm, including two shutouts during that time. Joining Gaymon on the South team’s coaching staff will be Wheeling graduate assistants Tyler Bradley and Adriel Miller.