Maryland's New Long Snapper Aims To Be "Ghost" at Undervalued Spot
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In college football, there is one position that is overlooked more than any other.
It's not mentioned by major recruiting sites leading up to the two National Signing Days. Those who play the position hope not to have their name called - on the rare cases they do, it's almost always because of a mistake.
Long snapping is not a glorious job, and yet, it is an incredibly important one.
Rory Knipp has been aware of all these facts for years. A native of Pittsburgh, PA and recent commit to the Maryland Terrapins, Knipp fought a battle of attrition to earn his place on a power conference roster.
"It's a niche position," Knipp said in an interview with Maryland On SI. "It's not very common that people want to play it."
In spite of that, it's quickly becoming the Knipp family tradition. Rory's father, Patrick, was a long snapper for Pittsburgh Central Catholic - a football factory in the region - and was with the team when they won a state championship in 1988. He then walked on at Kent State.
Years later, he helped set his only child on a similar path.
"He always told me that was my ticket to go play at a big school."Rory on following his father's advice
Rory has spent countless hours perfecting a craft that leaves little room for error.
Much of that work took place in the same place as his dad - and the stories left on the walls were his motivation.
Several Central Catholic alums have made it all the way to the NFL. While some are more obvious - Miami Dolphins' Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino being the most prominent - others succeeded in the same way Knipp hopes to.
Cal Adomitis, a CCHS Class of 2017 grad, long snapped for the Cincinnati Bengals for three years and was later picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles. He's now on the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad.
Knipp's predecessor, Cole Sullivan, could be following suit. He originally committed to Michigan and recently transferred to a CFP contender in Oklahoma.
Knipp wasted no time training to follow in their footsteps. Before even starting his freshman year, he was working out with Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz, who he met through a family friend.
"(Kuntz) told me that one day, I can be in his shoes," Knipp said. "He said, 'Just keep working, and you'll do something big someday.'"
Love it !! @roryknipp has something going for sure! Pops needs to work on his cornhole game tho ! 😂 https://t.co/0GdlqBfPti
— Christian Kuntz (@ckuntz24) July 11, 2022
Since earning the starting job as a junior, Rory has kept that high Central Catholic standard going.
"On Thursday nights, I slept very well knowing Rory was our long snapper. He did not have one bad snap in his career at Central Catholic. Not one on a PAT. Not one on a punt."CCHS Special Teams Coordinator Ron Fuchs
Normally, game film is enough for coaches to at least start conversations with potential recruits. But Knipp's position isn't as cut and dry as most others.
Unlike traditional rankings, special teamers are assigned their marks by participating in Kohl's Professional Kicking camps. These evaluations are the best way for the third unit to be noticed on a national level.
Kohl's rating system is weighed differently: a 5-star typically equates to FBS level, 4.5 is more likely an FCS talent, and so on.
Rory first attended his first camp in July 2023. There, his snapping was charted by speed and accuracy and compared to 40 other prospects in his class.
Over the next two years, he slowly but continuously grew his rating at more showcases, inching closer to D1 offers. But timing wasn't the only thing he had to perfect.
Leading up to his senior season, Knipp made two major changes that ultimately went hand-in-hand.
First, he focused on cutting weight. Rory saw some time at guard early in his high school career, and it left him a bit too slow to make the final ratings jump.
The other adjustment was what he did after getting the snap off.
"What I really encouraged him to do was, for Division 1 college, if he wanted to play, was to work on his pattern of blocking, and also covering downfield after the snap." Fuchs said. "I knew where he wanted to end up when he was a sophomore. His athleticism and his coverage skills didn't match that, but he worked at it, and I'm really proud of the kid."
Last May, Knipp finished first in the Kohl's Eastern Region Snapping competition, also running a 4.91 40-yard dash and earning his five-star rating at long last.
Then came the offers.
The University of Buffalo was his first in DI. Halfway through his senior season, Temple followed suit.
Finally, just days before playing his last game with Central Catholic, Maryland made their pitch. A week later, Rory accepted it.
He knew it was a great fit from his earlier visits to campus.
"I love Coach (Andre) Powell and Coach Chili (Davis)," Knipp said. "They've put so many players into the league."
"Now that they've expanded with this 105-man roster, long snappers are finally getting their due and getting commitments and getting scholarships," Fuchs said. "In the past, I've had kids, I'd have to get them a preferred walk on, and then by year two or three, they would get a scholarship. But it's nice now that kids are getting some financial aid to help them with a skill that's very unique."
Rory has one last bit of competition before heading to College Park: the PSFCA Big 33 Football Classic, where he and other top PA prospects take on the best from (ironically) MD.
But when he does make the trip across state lines, Maryland Coach Mike Locksley already has a spot lined up for Knipp - along with a new title.
"Ghost"Coach Locksley's nickname for Knipp
"He calls me 'Ghost' because he doesn't want to have to worry about me," Knipp explained. "He doesn't want to see me mess up."
It's almost paradoxical, spending all this time trying to stand out only to then be expected to blend in. Yet that's the life of a long snapper - one of meticulous routine. Head down, feet firm, and wrists quick.
With four-year regular Ethan Gough gone, Knipp will be competing with redshirt freshman Luke O'Hare for a chance to start right away. And in a critical year for the Terps' entire coaching staff, that is one of many battles they'll be sure to let play out.
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Mike joined Maryland On SI with over four years of sportswriting experience. He started off his career in Syracuse on the Orange football beat, where he was featured on CBS Sports' Cover 3 Podcast and local ESPN sports talk radio. After that, he had a brief stint reporting on Major League Baseball before returning to college sports.
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