Tag: Jareth Glanda

Jareth Glanda, #54

Jareth Glanda

HIGH SCHOOL
Glanda attended Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice and was All-Catholic League in football as a senior, but perhaps more impressively for an eventual 6’3″, 256-pounder, he was an all-state hockey goalie as a senior at Brother Rice.

COLLEGE
Glanda walked on to the program under Rich Rodriguez but redshirted that first year. (If you’re wondering whether he bulked up significantly after being a swimmer and hockey player in high school, he was listed at 265 lbs. his freshman year.) As a redshirt freshman in 2010, Glanda saw action in one game while he sat behind starting snapper Tom Pomarico. When Brady Hoke arrived in 2011, he made Glanda the short snapper (for field goals and extra points) while Pomarico held onto the long snapper job (punts). Glanda’s moment in the sun came in the Sugar Bowl at the end of the 2011 season when a fake field goal pass by Drew Dileo was deflected and fell into the hands of Glanda, who was tackled after an 11-yard gain. Coming back to Earth, Glanda spent 2012 and 2013 as the team’s long and short snapper, handling all the snapping duties with Pomarico having graduated.

CAREER STATISTICS
3 tackles
1 reception for 11 yards

AWARDS
Academic All-Big Ten in 2011 and 2012

SUMMARY
Glanda made a highlight reel catch in the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech, but the best thing I can say about Glanda is that I don’t remember a single errant snap during his four years on the field. Long snappers are guys you rarely notice unless they screw up, and they might get their names called a couple times a season when they make tackles on punt coverage. With Michigan losing Glanda and holder Drew Dileo in the same off-season, it will be strange and perhaps a bit unnerving to watch their replacements in 2014 and beyond.

I WILL REMEMBER HIM FOR . . . 
. . . that one extra point snap against Illinois in 2012. Remember? Yeah, me either. It’s the catch against Virginia Tech, obviously.

PROJECTION
Long snappers can make a living in the NFL, but it’s somewhat of a crapshoot who makes it. I’m sure pro talent evaluators have some things they look for, but they’re very much under the radar. I can’t imagine anyone having a much better portfolio than Glanda has, but we’ll have to see. I don’t believe a long snapper has ever been drafted solely to snap (although occasionally snappers double as backup tight ends or linebackers), so if Glanda catches on at the next level, it will have to be as a free agent.

2013 Season Countdown: #27 Jareth Glanda

Jareth Glanda

Name: Jareth Glanda
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 246 lbs.
High school: Rochester Hills (MI) Brother Rice
Position: Long snapper
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #54
Last year: I ranked Glanda #33 and said he would be the starting long snapper and short snapper. He started at long snapper and short snapper and assisted on 2 tackles.

Glanda was Michigan’s short snapper last year for the second consecutive season, and he also took over long snapping duties for the first time. While his 2012 season didn’t include any glorious moments like catching a pass in the Sugar Bowl, he still did a good job snapping the ball, helping Michigan avoid any major snapping snafus.

This year I’m ranking Glanda slightly higher. Not only is he expected to be the starting short and long snapper again, but last year’s second-stringer, Curt Graman, decided not to return for a fifth year. That leaves true freshman Scott Sypniewski as the only backup. I expected Michigan to have its fair share of close games this year, so good snapping will be important if they want to win those games.

Prediction: Starting long snapper and short snapper

2012 Season Countdown: #33 Jareth Glanda

Jareth Glanda, one of the heroes of the Sugar Bowl

Name: Jareth Glanda
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 255 lbs.
High school: Rochester Hills (MI) Brother Rice
Position: Long snapper
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #54
Last year: I did not rank Glanda.  He was the starting short snapper (for field goals and extra points) and caught one pass for a first down in the Sugar Bowl.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know a whole lot about the technical aspects of long snapping, but I do know that it’s an extremely important aspect of the game.  Good long snappers can be the difference between winning and losing close games.  Last season Glanda was the team’s short snapper; a short snapper handles field goals and extra points, which are typically about 7-yard snaps.  A long snapper has to snap the ball approximately 14 yards for punts, and that duty was handled by the now departed Tom Pomarico.

My guess is that Glanda will take over long snapping duties, but last year, I assumed Pomarico would handle both duties, too.  The only other option currently on the roster is redshirt junior Curt Graman, who has yet to see the field in college.  Snappers don’t have to be huge, but Graman is only 6’5″ and 200 lbs., so he might struggle to hold up as a blocker.  Furthermore, last year’s emergency snapper was defensive end Ryan Van Bergen, who is now graduated.  Options are limited, so hopefully Glanda can stay healthy and handle some additional duties.

Prediction: Starting long snapper and short snapper