Haynes, Ohio State in the national title mix
Former Pinecrest Academy standout could be in store for big season with Buckeyes
By John McWilliams
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POSTED: July 30, 2013
Pinecrest Academy graduate Bryce Haynes has settled in as long-snapper at Ohio State. After going a perfect 12-0 last season, the Buckeyes have their sights set of playing for a BCS national championship.
Bryce Haynes doesn?t get the same admiration as other football players. He?s free to walk anywhere on Ohio State?s campus without being bothered for a picture, but such is the life of a long-snapper.
Haynes, a Pinecrest Academy graduate in 2011, played receiver and defensive end in high school, but it wasn?t until his junior year that he earned long-snapping duties. He honed his abilities with Chris Rubio, deemed the top long-snapping instructor in the nation, and the scholarship offers rolled in.
Haynes, now a redshirt sophomore, was regarded as the No.1 long-snapper in the nation and pulled in offers from Arkansas, Harvard, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Ohio State before committing to the Buckeyes on Jan. 28, 2011.
"It all boils down to muscle-memory and having confidence in your skill," Haynes said. "There?s a lot to [long-snapping]."
According to national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell of Rivals.com, scholarships given to FBS long-snappers out of high school or junior college have increased about 20 percent since 2006, with big-name schools leading the movement.
"I think a lot of people underappreciate it, as far as that goes," Haynes said. "I?d say that [the coaching staff] wants the ball back [to the punter] in under 0.8 seconds, and that?s pretty hard to do, especially at 15 yards. I don?t think many people know how fast that is. And a big thing people don?t know is most of my snaps, and those of college snappers, are about 45 miles per hour, so I mean, that?s pretty fast."
The 6-foot-3, 222-pounder is just as talented in the classroom as on the field. He is a biology major with aspirations of becoming a doctor, though he isn?t sure what kind of doctor he?d like to become. Even summer break provides no rest, as he is taking molecular genetics and an organic chemistry lab.
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