Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Scott Daly Is Dedicated To His Craft FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY DAN MURPHY by throwing a football between his legs, he found it hard to believe. Daly started snapping as a fifth- W grader for his football team in the Chicago suburbs because he was the only he could reach the punter. He was a good athlete and had developed a knack for snapping by the time he reached Downers Grove (Ill.) South High School, but he still didn't con- sider that it could pay for his college Downers Grove, Ill. Notable: Born on Feb. 7, 1994 … Runs 6-4 · 230 · Downers Grove South H.S. · by 247Sports, Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPNU … Listed as the top long snap- per in the land by Scout.com … Con- sidered the second-best long snapper in the country and 47th-best recruit in Illinois by 247Sports … Tabbed as the No. 55-ranked prospect in the Midwest by SuperPrep … Ranked as the No. 3 long snapper in the nation and No. 43 recruit in Illinois by ESPNU. Statistics: Along with his long snapping the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds, and was last measured with a max bench press of 300 pounds and max squat of 500 pounds … Played baseball until his ju- nior year of high school when he gave it up to focus on football … Grew up an Irish fan and had Notre Dame as his top choice throughout the recruiting process … Hopes to major in business … Is the second Notre Dame incoming freshman to earn a scholarship solely for long snap- ping (the first is senior-to-be Jordan Cow- art) … Owns a black belt in Taekwondo. Rankings: Rated as a two-star recruit hen Scott Daly first heard that he could earn a college scholarship tuition. Scholarships for specialists have become more popular at ma- jor college football schools in recent years. As a sophomore, Daly's coach suggested he start thinking seriously about being a long snapper. "My first week he told me I had the training with former collegiate snap- per Chris Rubio and developed a strict regimen for himself. Daly works out for three hours a potential to be a really good long snap- per, and I took his advice," Daly said. "I stuck with it. At that time, I was a baseball player, and I thought I was going to be playing college baseball." Daly gave up baseball as a junior to put all of his focus on one of football's most unique positions. He started LS SCOTT DALY Belskis' Comments: "He does every- thing the right way. He's the kind of kid you want your daughter going out with. He's a great example in the weight room and just developed a great knack for doing what he does best." Tom Lemming Of Prep Football Re- Downers Grove Head Coach John day, which includes several techni- cal drills, work with a speed coach, weight lifting and yoga. He draws a few stares as the only 6-4, 230-pound football player in the yoga studio, but Daly said it does wonders for his flexibility. "At first I wasn't too crazy about it, but I liked it once I got started," he said. "It's a great workout, and it defi- nitely helps me a lot." ✦ port: "He's his team's leader, he gives 100 percent on every play, never misses a snap and works hard in the weight room. He could wind up playing center in college with another 40 to 50 pounds on his frame. Agile and quick-footed with ice water in his veins, he ranks as the nation's premier long snapper." Recruitment: Committed to Notre Dame during the Blue-Gold Game on April 16, 2011 … Received an offer from Northwestern, and interest from Stan- ford, Michigan State, Indiana, Alabama and LSU … Recruited primarily by Chuck Martin, but also spent time with special teams coordinator Mike Elston … Made several recruiting visits to Notre Dame, including the 2011 junior day. Favorite Part Of Notre Dame Visit: duties, caught two touchdown passes at the tight end position as a senior … Fin- ished the season with 107 receiving yards. Honors: Earned the Chris Rubio Long Snapper of the Year Award at the Herb- alife National Players of the Year ban- quet in December … Received special mention on the Chicago Tribune's all-state team … Won the overall snap challenge at the Kohl's Underclassmen Challenge in Orlando, Fla., as a junior … Earned all-conference honors at tight end as junior, as well as all-area honorable mention. All-Star Games And Camps: Attended the National Spring "Elite" Event for specialists in Las Vegas with snapping guru Chris Rubio … First caught the eyes of Irish recruiters at Notre Dame's special teams camp in 2010. Brian Kelly's Comments: "He's the best long snapper in the country. His value to our program will be seen immediately. We just believe he brings value to our program, and the kind of kid he is was somebody we just could not overlook." 28 MARCH 2012 247Sports ranks Daly as the No. 2 long snapper in the nation. tour the campus and meet Coach Kelly. It was just a perfect day, and it really sold me." Why He Chose Notre Dame: "Being an Irish Catholic and growing up a PHOTO COURTESY SCOTT DALY "The first time I got to see a game was the home opener against Purdue. That was my first game as a recruit, and that was just a great start. It was incredible, but the thing that really sold me was the junior day — just to spend time with all the coaches and Notre Dame fan, it's just a dream come true. To play the first opener in Dub- lin makes it even more exciting." Scouting Report: His unique set of skills and strong work ethic make him a candidate to see the field as a freshman … He has good size and athleticism, but could improve on his blocking technique to become an impact player of special teams after the snap. 2012 Projection: Will compete with rising senior Jordan Cowart to take over long snapping duties when he arrives on campus in the summer. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED