Chris Stoll, Penn State's Newest Super Bowl Champ, Has a Great Story

The Seattle Seahawks long snapper grew up near Ohio State and walked on at Penn State, where he became the best snapper in college football.

Seattle Seahawks long snapper Chris Stoll (41) claps after a punt pinning the San Francisco 49ers inside the five-yard line during the first half in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Chris Stoll made his case for the Super Bowl MVP trophy Sunday, and who could argue? The Seattle Seahawks long snapper had a perfect night in Super Bowl LX, making five on-target snaps for field goals as the Seahawks (with help from their defense) overwhelmed the New England Patriots 29-13.

Stoll is the Seahawks' third-year starting snapper from Penn State, where he was named college football's best long snapper as a senior. Stoll also has one of the most entertaining stories of a Penn State walk-on, one that includes a garage sale to offload a bunch of Ohio State gear.

Stoll won the 66th Super Bowl ring in Penn State football history, joining such greats as Jack Ham and Matt Millen, who have four titles each. He also joined Michael Robinson and Jordan Hill in winning Super Bowl championships with the Seahawks. And he did so largely anonymously.

"The only publicity I'll get is if a snap goes over [the punter's] head," Stoll said in a 2019 interview while at Penn State.

Nonsense. The long snapper deserves a spotlight, too. So who is Super Bowl champion Chris Stoll? Here's a primer.

Chris Stoll's road to becoming a long snapper

Seattle Seahawks long snapper Chris Stoll talks to media members before Super Bowl LX. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Stoll grew up in Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus located about 15 miles from Ohio Stadium. He played hockey and lacrosse at St. Francis DeSales High School, though he wasn't high on depth chart. Then his team needed a long snapper, so Stoll volunteered. He started his snapping career essentially throwing the ball one-handed between his legs.

Gradually. Stoll learned the proper, two-handed technique for snapping and enrolled in several long-snapping camps. College coaches took notice.

Ohio State showed some interest, which thrilled Stoll and his family of Buckeyes fans. However, Penn State's snapping job would open sooner than Ohio State's, so he left Columbus for State College. Stoll was familiar with Penn State, having spent a week there at a hockey clinic when he was younger.

“I did, in fact, grow up a Buckeye fan, considering I grew up 15 minutes from Columbus,” Stoll said in a 2019 interview while he was at Penn State. “But really, the opportunity presented itself here at Penn State. A lot of my friends and family went to Ohio State. I wanted to be different, branch out a little bit and meet new people.

“I had an opportunity here to start sooner than wait until my fifth year at Ohio State. I ended up loving my decision. I couldn’t thank Penn State enough for the opportunity.”

An Ohio State fan walks on at Penn State

Seattle Seahawks long snapper Chris Stoll (41) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When Stoll walked on at Penn State in 2017, his family held a garage sale. Most of the stuff to go had an Ohio State logos. All their Buckeyes jerseys, baby gear, flags and everything else found new homes at that yard sale. The Stoll family quickly replaced scarlet with blue.

“Obviously we were all Buckeyes fans until I committed [to Penn State], but then, slowly but surely, the rest of my extended family moved over to the good side at Penn State,” Stoll said in the 2019 interview. “There’s no more Ohio State gear in my house. It’s all Penn State, and it will be for the rest of my life.”

Stoll spent four years as Penn State's starting long snapper, earning a scholarship and team captaincy in the process. He also turned himself into the nation's best at the position.

In 2022, Stoll won the Patrick Mannelly Award as the top long snapper, then a relatively new college football prize named for the Chicago Bears' longtime long snapper. Former Penn State coach James Franklin often called Stoll "Mr. Consistent." "Externally maybe doesn't get talked about a lot," Franklin said in 2022. "Internally in our building, we talk about him all the time,"

All of us at The Patrick Mannelly Award want to congratulate Chris Stoll for winning the 2022 award for top FBS Long Snapper in the country! #WeAre #PennState pic.twitter.com/oM9EzNiQ4G

— The Patrick Mannelly Long Snapper Award (@MannellyAward) December 11, 2022

At Penn State, Stoll wanted to prove his athleticism, so he lost 30 pounds, playing most of his career with the Nittany Lions at 235. He's playing at 255 with the Seahawks but still wants people to know he's an athlete.

“The stigma around long-snappers is that we do our thing, we’re not very athletic, we snap the ball and that’s it,” Stoll said in 2019. “I wanted to take the athleticism I have in my hockey and lacrosse background and get downfield and make plays.”

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