By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com
DUBLIN, Ohio — Three long-snappers with “great potential” emerged from the Ray Guy Prokicker.com camp in the Columbus area this week at Dublin High School.
Zach Lozar, a rising senior out of Willougby Hills in the Cleveland area, charted in with a fast snap of .76. He will play this fall for St. Ignatius High School.
“Zach is a real good kid with great potential,” said Prokicker.com staffer Jacob Claycomb. “You could tell he was kind of raw but Ben (Fuller) and I started working with him. His snap changed unbelievably in a couple of seconds. He gets so much speed on the ball.”
“I’ve been practicing a lot to get my speed up but I need to work on accuracy,” Lozar said. “I’ve been to other long-snapping camps but never one where I got charted. I like what they did with the warmups. It was really organized. Some of the stuff they pointed out I’d never heard of before but it helped a lot.”
Lozar, who is 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, has been a long-snapper since his eighth-grader year. He expects to be a starter somewhere on the offensive line at either center or guard. As for long-snapping, he understands it can be a thankless position.
“You’re not noticed until that time when you’re ready to kick that last-second field goal,” Lozar said. “All the other times you’re expected to do the job, lind of like being a lineman. You do the work and the running back gets the glory.”
Because of injuries, Lozar played some at fullback last season — as a blocking back.
“This camp was great,” he said. “I really learned a lot.”
Zack Barker, who also attended the Prokicker.com camp in Dallas, came back to chart as well.
“He was visiting family from Lexington (Ky.) and wanted to get charted again,” said Claycomb. “That shows you how serious he is about this. He’s really good and has got a body you can build on. One thing about Texas, they know what they’re doing in football and know what they’re doing in the weightroom.”
Another top prospect and an underclassman who will only be a junior this fall is Nick Walter of Pickerington, Ohio. He charted 22 of 30 with a fastest snap of .75. He is 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds.
“He’s got his way out of wanting to do it but he’s open to suggestion,” Claycomb said. “He’s got another year so there’s definitely room to get better. But he’s already a good one. He was throwing darts.”
The fastest snap was one of the best chartings of the season, Claycomb said.
“When they walk into camp you know they’re one of the better ones because they act like it in a way and I don’t mean that negative at all,” he said. “They have a different confidence about them.”
Walter fit that mold and should be a Division I prospect for 2013, Claycomb said.
“He’s got a real good snap on him,” Claycomb said. “When it comes to kids who already have a good foundation, you can make a few adjustments and the snap changes dramatically. He’s already a great prospect.”
