2016 LS John Shannon Commits to Notre Dame!

Notre Dame received its 2nd commitment for the 2016 recruiting class when Illinois long snapper (for some reason this makes me really want to make a Blues Brothers reference) John Shannon committed during Junior Day festivities. Shannon is listed at 6'2" and 235 pounds with a self-reported 4.97 40 yard dash, 275 pound bench press, and 485 pound squat. Not fast, but you don't exactly look for that in a lineman - and more importantly, those are respectable power numbers for a 235-pounder.

We'll skip the recruiting rankings section since, not surprisingly, none of the services has long snapper rankings and none has rated Shannon.

Highlights

Can we find highlights of a long snapper? Yes we can! I'll be honest and say I have no idea how to evaluate a long snapper, other than checking that the snaps aren't a train wreck. And, as you can see below, they're not. The only thing I might add is that he looks like he moves down the field pretty well after the snap.

Impact

Immediate Future

Shannon will be a freshman during current long snapper Scott Daly's presumed fifth year, which sets Shannon up nicely to redshirt in 2016 and develop physically.

Long Term / Career

Shannon will enroll as the heir apparent to Daly and most likely start his own four-year run as the main guy in 2017. People may chuckle at the idea of using a scholarship on a long snapper, but four years of continuity at the position can be extremely valuable. Shannon will get his chance to provide that continuity.