Warszawski: Football’s a snap for Fresno State’s Dylan Detwiler

Dylan Detwiler has, in fact, spent a sizeable portion of his Bulldogs career bent over at the waist.

He just doesn’t bow to perception.

“That’s a constant struggle,” Detwiler says.

Detwiler is a long snapper, which in the hierarchy of a football team places him alongside punters and kickers on the lowly “specialists” peg.

He has heard all the putdowns and recites them on cue.

“You’re not an athlete. You’re not strong. You’re not a football player,” Detwiler says.

“When I first got here, that’s one of the things I wanted to do. To change how people viewed me.”

The senior from Hemet, one of 18 who will be feted before kickoff Saturday night at Bulldog Stadium, has done that and more.

Detwiler arrived at Fresno State as just another walk-on. It took him one year to earn a scholarship (playing through a torn MCL), and now the 6-foot-1, 232-pounder concludes his career as both team captain (he received the highest number of votes in a team-wide balloting) and NFL prospect.

“He’s the best long snapper that I’ve coached,” special teams coordinator Pete Germano says. “There’s been a lot of NFL guys coming through asking me about him, a ton of guys.”

It’s easy to overlook the importance of long snapping. Only when a botched snap costs a team at a crucial time (Trey Junkin, ladies and gentlemen) does anyone seem to notice.

For all the ups and downs the Bulldogs have experienced in recent seasons, Detwiler’s contributions have been as consistent as a metronome. On a typical day he’ll practice 100 to 125 snaps split between punts (15 yards) and field goals/PATs (7 yards).

“The key is repetition,” he says. “Every time I go down to snap the ball I have to make sure I’m doing the same thing. Hand position especially is crucial in snapping a spiral.”

Detwiler snaps with both hands. He grips the ball in his right as if he were throwing a pass, then cocks his wrist and uses his left as a guide.

Snapping for field goals and PATs is all upper body and feel. Snapping for punts is more difficult because leg strength is required to deliver the ball over the extra distance with as much velocity as possible.

At Fresno State, the goal is to execute a punt in 2 seconds or less. Detwiler gets 0.75 seconds for the snap, allowing punter Garrett Swanson 1.25 to catch the football and boot it away.

Detwiler’s timed average: 0.69 seconds.

“He’s got great speed on his snaps,” Germano says.

Another thing that separates Detwiler from other long snappers is his ability to make tackles.

Just ask Carlos Davis, the Mississippi punt returner who neglected to call for a fair catch during the third quarter of a Sept. 12 game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Detwiler raced downfield and slammed into Davis, dislodging the football and resulting in a fumble recovery that gave Fresno State possession at the Rebels 17-yard line in what was then a 35-14 game.

Detwiler’s four special teams tackles, all on punt coverage, tie him with Stratton Brown for the team lead.

“He’s a threat that other teams need to be aware of,” Germano says. “He’s been doubled he’s been so good. He’s the rare snapper who faces double teams.”

An all-league center in high school, Detwiler is perfectly comfortable with contact. So much so that he’s volunteered his services for kickoff coverage.

Until recently, the answer Detwiler always got from Germano went something like, “Sorry, but you’re too valuable.”

When injuries decimated the unit against Hawaii, Detwiler finally got his chance on five kickoffs. He would relish a few more against Colorado State in his final college game.

“If they need me, sure,” Detwiler says. “I’ll run down on kickoff again. I enjoy it.”

A criminology major, Detwiler sounds eager about a career in law enforcement. But first he wants to give the NFL a shot and plans to spend the next several months training for Fresno State’s pro day.

Snapping is such a valued commodity that 14 of the NFL’s 32 teams are paying their long snappers salaries of $1 million or more.

Great work if you can get it.

“Based on what people have told me, he’s got a legitimate chance,” Germano says. “Every scout that’s been through here has commented on Swanny and him. They’re legit guys.”

Long snappers at the NFL level are required to protect – typically against 290-pound linemen. To show he can withstand these rigors, Detwiler aims to add another 10 to 15 pounds once the season ends.

NFL teams rarely use draft picks on long snappers, so to raise his profile Detwiler (along with Swanson) will attend a free agent combine for kickers, punters and snappers in Gilbert, Arizona.

“It’s a good place to get recognized, so I’ll do all those camps,” he says. “Then do my pro day and see what happens next.”

Right now he’s thinking more about the immediate future. One final game in a Bulldogs uniform, one last trip down the stadium ramp.

“It’s crazy how fast the time has gone by,” Detwiler says. “It seems like it was just yesterday my first time walking down that ramp. I’ll definitely take in that moment a little more.”

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Warszawski: Football’s a snap for Fresno State’s Dylan Detwiler."