Thats a great article, but

Good read on Philip Florenzo

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Nov 8, 2023, 9:01 AM

CLEMSON – Philip Florenzo is the best Clemson football player you’ve never heard of.

And may never hear of again.

As a long snapper who plays only in punting situations, he’s a walk on who’s essentially cloaked in anonymity.

With the possible exception of holders, long snappers are the bona fide Rodney Dangerfields of the gridiron – they get no respect.

The guess here is that this stems from the perception that their task seems rather simple and insignificant – namely, get the ball from the line of scrimmage and safely into the punter’s hands without incident.

No one notices you until you sail a snap several feet over the punter’s head or dribble a snap back to his feet.

Then everyone notices you.

But for the most part, long snappers toil in relative if not complete obscurity. Their actions don’t elicit oohs and aahs as would a rousing sack by a defensive end, a breakaway run from a back or a diving reception by a receiver.

I have yet to hear someone in the crowd say, “Oh wow, that was a great snap back to the punter!”

When you’re a long snapper, not being noticed is a good thing.

“I mean I’m the long snapper, so nobody knows my name,” said Florenzo, a former high school lacrosse player from Towson, Maryland. “Normally you’d be interviewing me only if something bad happened. So it’s cool to get a little recognition for once.”

The recognition is justified, particularly after what unfolded last week against Notre Dame. Florenzo, who’s typically the first player downfield to defend a punt return, recovered a muffed punt by Chris Tyree at the Notre Dame 22. A field goal seven plays later gave the Tigers a 10-3 first-quarter lead in what turned out to be a 31-23 victory against the No. 12 Fighting Irish.

“You dream of a moment like that, but you don’t really know what to do when it actually happens,” Florenzo said. “You can tell on the film when I stand up and look around, all of my teammates are like, ‘Run to the end zone. Go celebrate!’ ”

Once he got his bearings, plenty of celebrating ensued for Florenzo. Among his teammates, among his family and friends. That day, that night and spilling over into this week.

“My mom cried because she was so happy about it,” Florenzo said. “My brother was so proud of me, dad was happy, and mom wanted to tell everyone. I love that for them because they’ve sacrificed a lot for me to be here.

Clemson long snapper Phillip Florenzo (45) picks up a fumble by Notre Dame receiver Chris Tyree (4) after a punt, during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, November 4, 2023.
“To get that one moment – that one moment where the whole crowd is cheering for you and you hear your name over the loudspeaker and you look up and your parents are cheering, there’s nothing that could beat that. I’m just thankful every day that I had the opportunity to do this. I’ll never forget it.”

As Clemson readies for its final three games of the regular season, Florenzo is focused on launching perfect snaps and perhaps even padding his total of three special teams tackles.

If things go as planned, there will be a bowl trip to anticipate in late December.

Beyond that, we have no idea what the future may hold for the long snapper known affectionately as “Flo.”

Heck, he doesn’t even know.

“I’ll pick my head up after college and see where I am and we’ll see where life goes,” Florenzo said.

Wherever that may be, there’s no doubt that he’s had his moment in the sun – a fleeting date with fate when he went “Rudy” against Notre Dame on a November Saturday in Clemson.

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Thats a great article, but

Good read on Philip Florenzo

Copy/pasta please***

Re: Copy/pasta please***

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