100 Days of Florida Football: No. 46 Drew Ferris

Florida long snapper Drew Ferris‘ journey to Gainesville has certainly been an interesting one. Ferris hails from Carlsbad, CA and decided to attend San Diego Jewish Academy to play basketball. In addition to basketball, he played on both sides of the football, starting at defensive end and offensive tackle. One day, the coaches asked for volunteers to long snap and Ferris stepped forward. And the rest is history. Ferris has played in 26 games throughout his four years at UF and has been the Gators primary snapper for field goal and punting situations. Although his decision to come to Florida wasn’t an easy one, it’s certainly worked out.

"“I came to Florida blind, had never seen the campus. But things have worked out very well.”"

Ferris was actually a three sport star in high school. He played varsity football and basketball for his junior and senior seasons and was on the varsity baseball team his senior campaign. On the hardwood, the 6-1, 212 pounder averaged 5.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 42 games. On the baseball diamond, Ferris notched a .139 batting average with six RBI. But it was on the football field he made his impact. On the gridiron, Ferris had 77 tackles with 9.5 sacks and a fumble recovery on defense. On offense, he contributed on the ground and through the air. During his senior season, Ferris ran six times for 21 yards and caught two balls for 13 yards. His efforts won him the Coaches’ Award for hardest worker and second-team all-conference defense and offense . He was named to the San Diego Union Tribune four times throughout high school. But he found his calling by sticking his head between his legs.

Shortly after his coaches asked for volunteers for long snappers, Ferris decided to put all his effort into that position. He went to Chris Rubio’s Long Snapping Camp where he came away as a five-star and 14th-ranked long snapper. Drew Ferris was all set to walk-on to San Jose State when Florida came calling. The Gators’ long snapping recruit decided to go to Virginia Tech instead, so Ferris decided to attend UF without even seeing the campus. He’s happy he made that decision.

"“You can’t believe the football. I’m playing before 90,000 people in The Swamp. I don’t care where you go to high school, you can’t simulate that.”"

When it comes to the job, Ferris tries not to psych himself out.

"“You learn as you go. This job is more stressful than you could imagine. Snapping is all mental. If you think too much, if you get nervous or get butterflies, you’ll screw up. You need to have good form, a good base, aim low, follow through and focus on who’s catching the ball. This is a mentally challenging position.”"

As far as punt coverage goes, the Gators don’t ask him to do too much.

"“This is Florida, and we’ve got great athletes that can get downfield in a blink. Teams can’t rush the snapper straight up, but can rush off the shoulders. So they ask me to stay in and block."

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It’s obvious Drew Ferris’ position is an unheralded, but important one on the football field. He actually has two years of eligibility left, as he didn’t play his first year at Florida and missed the 2012 season after getting injured in the first game of the season. Long snapping is an art, and Ferris is most certainly looking to perfect his craft. So when you see number 46 line up on special teams, remember all the hard work that goes into it.

(h/t San Diego Union Times)

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