Why Oklahoma State long snapper Matt Hembrough chose football and 'should play in the pros'
Jacob UnruhOklahoman
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State super-senior Matt Hembrough always knew he was going to play college football.
It’s just kind of how it is in his family.
His father played. His three uncles played.
“That was not really a question,” Hembrough said. “I wanted to. It was something I was passionate about since I was a little kid.”
Still, Hembrough had to find his own way.
He tried to be a lineman. He tried to be a running back. In middle school, he played linebacker alongside his twin brother, Michael. In high school, Matt played defensive back and even some tight end.
Nothing stuck.
Until he snapped the football to a punter or holder.
“That’s my opportunity to get in,” Hembrough said.
A position change out of necessity both personally and for the team was the first step to college football and perhaps more.
Hembrough has cemented himself as one of the premier long snappers in the country. The sixth-year Cowboy officially never had a bad snap in four seasons as the starter and was a finalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award, given to the nation’s top long snapper.
And when his OSU career wraps up against Wisconsin in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Tuesday night in Phoenix, the search for a position early in his football career certainly proved to be worth every twist and turn.
“You don't ever talk about holders or snappers until they mess it up,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said earlier this season. “Everybody just thinks it's gonna happen. And when something doesn't happen that's favorable, then we start talking about it.
“But he should play in the pros for a long time.”
Should Hembrough get an NFL chance, he would be the second member of his family to reach that level.
Mike Hembrough — his uncle — played fullback at Western Illinois and was invited to a Denver Broncos camp.
Hembrough’s dad, Jeff, played nose guard at Illinois State. Chris Hembrough played tight end at Miami, winning a national title with coach Howard Schnellenberger. Doug Hembrough — the youngest of the four brothers — played center at Missouri, even facing an OSU squad led by a young Gundy.
But the current Hembrough chose a different path to the sport.
“Obviously, I don’t run a 4.4,” Hembrough said. “I’m fast, but I don’t run a 4.4. I wasn’t going to be a receiver. I wasn’t going to be a cornerback. Reality set in a little bit and I decided to focus on (long snapping).
“It’s something I’m passionate about and something I take serious every day.”
Hembrough first snapped a football in his backyard in middle school as his dad held tryouts for the position. The competition was Matt’s twin brother and another teammate.
Matt was a natural.
By his freshman season, he was deep into the long-snapping world. He went to a camp held by Chris Rubio, a famed snapping instructor.
Hembrough was around a paltry 5 feet 2 and 110 pounds.
“He and his brother just didn’t grow early,” Jeff said. “Even at those, they’re looking at this little kid that can snap a little bit, but he’s never going to be a D-I player.”
But Jeff believed Matt had the frame to grow.
By his senior year, he was getting bigger. He spent years emailing coaches but still had no scholarship offers.
So, he went to another Rubio camp, this time in Las Vegas. Afterward, San Jose State called with a scholarship offer. Others followed.
Soon, OSU reached out and offered him a chance to be a preferred walk-on. Hembrough jumped at the opportunity.
It didn’t take long for Hembrough to prove his worth. He grew quickly into a 6-foot-3, 220-pound athlete. He earned a scholarship and in his third season on campus became the full-time long snapper.
His ability to execute perfectly was uncanny, no matter the condition, moment or even if the holder or punter changed.
“We knew that he was a good player but not like that,” Gundy said. “It's hard to know when you have a young kid that they're going to be like that good. Like, he's really good.”
Hembrough has had big moments, too.
He remembers the snap to set up a tying field goal that forced overtime in 2020 against Texas. Last season’s run to the Fiesta Bowl will always be cherished.
And tackles against Arizona State and Baylor this season were special.
“That was fun,” said Hembrough, who has six career tackles.
Still, he’s more concerned with the end result.
It’s a good day when Hembrough goes unnoticed.
That’s why Jeff and his wife, Karen, often sit in the stands and think little of what their son does each time he takes the field.
There is peace with each snap knowing the future is promising.
“I kinda watched and assumed it would be good,” Jeff said. “I’m glad. I wouldn’t want to watch him if I were worried every time he’s maybe going to have a bad snap. Those are rough.
“We don’t need to see any of those.”
