The long snapper might be the most unheralded position in football. Very little fanfare is given to it, but it’s just as important as the other 10 positions out on the field at the moment of truth. Fortunately, the Patrick Mannelly Award was created in 2019 to be presented to the best long snapper in college football. Notre Dame’s [autotag]Michael Vinson[/autotag] has made the watch list for this year’s award.
Although the Mannelly Award hasn’t been around for very long, the Irish benefited from it immediately upon its establishment. The first recipient of the award was [autotag]John Shannon[/autotag]. Though Shannon never played football again after that, it sure was a nice way to go out. His departure paved the way for Vinson to become the top long snapper, and Vinson has held the fort down ever since.
It’s hard to tell how Vinson will do this season, but at least the experts have high hopes for him.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=none image=https://fightingirishwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89