Deep Snapper and Special Teams Not A Problem, Especially Snapper

STILLWATER – Off day on Wednesday for the Oklahoma State football team in fall camp. The Cowboys will be back on the practice field on Thursday in full pads. 

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Cowboys working on field goals and extra points.

Before the season started when I was talking to Phil Steele, you know the man that puts out that monster publication every season previewing college football. Steele is on about every award committee there is and he votes on all of them. I told him that by far the best deep snapper in the Big 12 was Matt Hembrough at Oklahoma State. Hembrough is the best I have ever seen at OSU, and remember my own flesh and blood son Zach did that job for four seasons. Steele believed me some, but not enough. He had Hembrough second team preseason All-Big 12 behind the OU snapper. He did nominate him for the Patrick Mannelly Award for the top deep snapper in college football. The very first day of fall camp, I asked Mike Gundy before practice how good it was for Hembrough to be back for a sixth-season. Gundy was affirmative on that.

“Hopefully, that is the case,” Hembrough responded right after snapping in the first practice.

He also admitted that he was happy to be on the award watch list.

“I really am. It is an honor because there are a lot of talented deep snappers on that list,” Hembrough said. “It will be cool to see how the season plays out and hopefully, at the end of the season I’m holding that trophy. I’ll do my best.”

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Hembrough is athletic and made a few tackles on punts in his career.

Hembrough has been a part of over 375 successful punts, field goals, and point after touchdown plays in his career. Four seasons of snapping and more than 185 successful punt snaps and 185 successful placement snaps. No bad snaps ever by the lefty, that’s right it took me four-years to notice the 6-3, 220-pound Hembrough from Lisle, Ill. is a lefty.

“We’ve been very lucky for years and years and years to have deep snappers and holders that have been very good,” head coach Mike Gundy said when I asked about the bonus of having Hembrough back. “They are disciplined, and they basically train themselves. They go over here (Gundy points at Boone Pickens Stadium) and they work on their own, have their own drills, and nobody is watching them and Hembrough has been fantastic for us. “We’re in a great situation with our special teams with snappers, punters, holders, and kickers, all those guys. We are in a good situation.”

Special teams have been smooth so far. I know that regardless of who kicks the extra points and field goals, either Tanner Brown, who was 17-of-21 last season and Alex Hale, who was 13-of-14 in 2020 before a knee injury in warm-ups at Oklahoma. Hale is 16-of-20 in his career. One will kick placements and the other can kickoff. Hembrough doesn’t care. He’ll do his job snapping it to punt Tom Hutton, who holds.

“For me, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of people,” Hembrough said of his six-years here. He arrived in 2017 and red-shirted and has been the snapper the past four seasons. “You know I started with Zach Sinor and he’s gone and then I was with Matt Ammendola and he is gone. I’ve been with Tom (Hutton) and Alex (Hale) then other guys have come in like Tanner and Zeke and now there are newcomers that I’m working with. I think working with guys for multiple years is important to our having success and we form a bond. We have to trust each other with what we do to be successful. I think we do.”

Again, I’m amazed he is back and not in an NFL training camp earning one of those 32 jobs snapping in the league.

Oklahoma State Athletics

The view Hutton sees of Hembrough, whether it is a field goal or a punt.

“Me too,” answered Hutton in his Aussie accent. “It’s good to have him back and he has been my snapper all three years that I’ve played. We’ve got all guys that have played at least a few snaps on special teams and that helps. We have some competition going on and that makes everybody better. We’re a tight knit group too, so that makes it where we can all take criticism and not take it personally.”

The again, it is easy because with Hembrough it is hard to have any criticism with perfection.