‘This is what I want to do’: Local long snapper chases NFL dreams

By CNN Newsource

Published July 1, 2025 1:08 PM

By Matt Sottile

PAPILLION, Nebraska (KETV) — Long snapping in the NFL wasn’t Sam Dolphens’ childhood dream. But it is now.

“When I was a little kid, I didn’t even know what a long snapper was,” Dolphens joked. “I always wanted to be a big-time quarterback or I wanted to play baseball in college. But now I found long snapping. And this is what I want to do.”

Dolphens discovered his special talent on special teams during his sophomore season.

“I was just kind of messing around at practice. I was trying to find my way on the field and fell right into it,” he told KETV.

What started off as messing around has turned into serious business.

The Papillion-La Vista South senior is the eighth-ranked long snapper in the country in the Class of 2026 and holds scholarship offers from Auburn, Kansas State and Tulsa.

“I kind of realized through my junior year, I could go to college for this and make a career out of this,” Dolphens said.

Thanks to his experience at quarterback and tutelage from Ryan Langan, a professional long snapper in the UFL, Dolphens is turning into a unicorn.

“Just raw talent, things that all snappers have. (He) just kind of knew how to naturally throw a ball between his legs,” said Langan. “It’s something that I really took pride in. Helping him get that head start and telling him what I wish I would have done differently.”

The Papillion-La Vista South senior knows the ‘upside-down quarterback’ isn’t a glamorous position.

“If you don’t know the long snapper’s name, that means they’re doing their job,” he said.

But without it, the whole play falls apart.

“If you have a bad long snapper, it can change the whole game,” Dolphens added.

“It’s one of those things (where) you have to give 100% every time. The one time you make mistakes, someone’s going to notice,” said Langan.

And it’s a special talent that could carry Sam a long way.

“The dream is the NFL. Every kid’s dream is the NFL,” said Dolphens. “I think more people should do it. It’s kind of just like a cheat code. You should get into it, fall in love with it, and hopefully you can go big places with it.”

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