OXFORD, Ohio— To Hudson Powell, long snapping is about chasing perfection.
 
"It's attention to detail and repeatability," Powell said after practice this morning. "It's being as close to perfect as possible, which is impossible.
 
"That's what I'm addicted to: Just trying to find that perfect rep over and over again to see how many times I can do it. There are so many small things; it's a game of inches when it comes to snapping…stuff I can control that can help the rest of the unit be as successful as they can."   

 
Powell didn't begin snapping until midway through high school, but quickly made up for lost time. "I was a baseball guy…it wasn't until between sophomore and junior year that I realized I'd probably regret it if I didn't play high school football," he recounted. "I was thinking primarily offensive and defensive line, and I did that, but I was also contacted by the special teams coach about an opportunity to long snap since the previous snapper had just graduated.
 
"I started watching YouTube videos; I watched every YouTube video there is about snapping, which is not a lot! And then I worked in the backyard: Me and my dad all the way through, with me snapping probably three times a day and 100 balls every session. I knew I was late to this thing and behind on reps…and I just totally fell in love with it."
 
After working with coaches like Craig Montgomery and NFL veteran Matt Overton to fine-tune his technique, Powell performed well at enough camps to earn recognition as a five-star long snapper and one of the top 20 athletes at his position in the country. That led to his opportunity to join the Red and White in 2022.
 
"It wasn't until after my senior year that I had a college offer," Powell said. "Miami felt like home. I ended up committing here, and it's been the best decision I ever made!"
 

By the fall of 2024, Powell had earned a starting job with the RedHawks. The first month of that season was a bit of a blur, including a highlight moment at Notre Dame where he recovered a first-quarter muffed punt and then a dramatic walk-off comeback win against UMass where Powell snapped for two clutch Dom Dzioban field goals (one to tie and one to win).
 
"He's as elite as they come in the country when it comes to long snapping," Dzioban said confidently.
 
And as if that September needed any more memorable moments for Powell, the walk-on Real Estate major from Nashville found out in a team meeting a few days after Miami's opener at Northwestern that head coach Chuck Martin was awarding him a scholarship.
 
"That was one of the best feelings I've ever felt," Powell smiled. "I had no idea that we had any scholarships available [or] that I was the guy who'd be worthy…
 
"So much racing through my head, thinking about those days I was snapping hundreds of balls with my dad in the backyard."
 
When the meeting concluded, Powell hastily texted his family group chat to invite them to join a call a few minutes later – without telling them what it was about. Getting to share the good news with the most important people in his life that day is something Powell will remember forever. "They were beyond thrilled," he recounted. "They were in my corner from the very beginning, so to see me be able to have that moment, they were as proud as they could be."
 
While Miami enters the 2025 season without a lot of experience on offense or defense, Martin and the RedHawks are supremely confident in their veteran special teams unit, which always starts with Powell snapping the ball.
 
"Specialists have a crazy pride," Martin said. "They're like golfers. They practice probably more than anyone to perfect what they do…
 
"They're obsessed with perfecting their craft. Hudson was really good in high school, and we're fortunate that he's been great here."
 
So when No. 59 takes the field for the Red and White this fall, before letting your eyes follow the ball to another successful punt, field goal, or extra point, take a moment to enjoy the routine that makes long snapping appear…well…routine.

 
From Powell's point of view, that looks like:
 
"Left foot first. Right foot second. Getting my stance, bending my knees out, and putting pressure through my feet on the ground. Looking back at the kicker for field goals and watching his steps; he's going to go three back and two to the side. Once he takes his steps vertically, I get over the ball to time up well with [him].
 
"Then once I get down on the ball, it's feeling the ball, feeling the laces on my fingers, and seeing what's most comfortable. From there, you just stop thinking and throw your ball. Trust your technique. Trust your training.
 
"I've done this thousands of times, if not tens of thousands…a lot of people struggle having that trust in [themselves]. Your mind can race to so many places. But when you're over the ball, you've got to think good thoughts, know that you've prepared for that moment, and just go out there and let it fly."
 
Miami is scheduled to practice again on Wednesday morning, August 13 in Oxford.
 
 
JUST FOR KICKS: Dzioban enters his sixth and final season with the RedHawks as one of the most experienced players on the roster and in the conference. As someone who has been both an All-MAC punter (2022) and placekicker (2024), Dzioban said his approach to this camp has been to enjoy it as much as possible

– even when a good portion of practice can look like 'hurry up and wait' for specialists who try to find lanes to attempt practice kicks between a myriad of simultaneous offensive and defensive drills scattered around Yager Stadium.
 
"Sam Sloman and I talked about this two days ago; we were on the phone talking about 'our last rides,'" Dzioban laughed. "I mean, he did it pretty well [Second-Team All-America and 60 for 64 on kicks in 2019], so he was a good guy to listen to.
 
"He was just telling me, 'You've got to go in to that building enjoying it a little bit more than past years.'…[so if] camp is getting hard and it's hot out here…I try to enjoy it a little bit more. I look around, I talk to my teammates a little bit more, and I think the results are showing from that.
 
"I'm having fun out here. That's really what this is: A game, a kid's game…and if we're not having fun out here, there's no point to doing it."
 
 
EYEBALL EMOJI: In pass-protection one-on-one reps today, offensive linemen Gavin Rohrs and Kris Manu stood out. Rohrs, a 6-4 redshirt junior, and Manu, a 6-2 redshirt freshman, both stood tall against pressure and handled the rush with ease.
 
 
'WALK' THIS WAY: Another day, another Adrian Walker Jr. interception. The true freshman cornerback from Inkster, Mich. has had an exceptional camp, and came up with a pick again this morning.
 
"He's a young kid that's really confident, and he's got great natural feel for the game," Martin said later. "So far, it's like, 'Coming to college, is the moment too big?' No.
 
"He's got a lot of Frizz [Yahsyn McKee] in him as far as his confidence and how he approaches things. He believes he's better than you and he believes he's going to make every play. That was one of Frizz's biggest strengths. He carries himself like Frizz did, which is a great thing, because obviously Frizz was a great player for us."
 
 
INSIDE SLANT: One special teams drill today involved players from the kickoff and kickoff return units working one-on-one against each other, with cones on either side of the hash marks to mark the lanes for the players racing downfield.
 
"We're really working our front-line drop and sink-and-absorb technique up front for our kickoff return guys. And then the kickoff guys are working in the speed zone, far away from the ball, trying to avoid blocks; they're either winning what we call speed move or backdoor, based on their drop and their leverage," said first-year special teams coordinator Johnny Aylward. "It's a great drill and competition to get the energy up, but also a great evaluation tool for us as we're looking to set our depth for kickoff and kickoff return.

 
"Who can make those tough front-line blocks on kickoff return, and then who can get down there fast to the football on kickoff?...Who can really implement it when it comes to high-pressure situations and one-on competition in that setting? You can see it right away on the field: Who's got a good grasp of that technique, who's not afraid to stick their face in there and make a really tough block, and who's got some wiggle on a kickoff that's going to be able to get down to the football fast."
 
Aylward said one of his favorite parts of his role is getting to work with (literally) nearly every player on the team. Outside of the quarterbacks (although even the QBs take reps holding for kicks every now and again), the majority of players from every position group on Miami's roster are involved with some aspect of special teams, whether that's the linemen on field goals or skill position players on the aforementioned coverage units.
 
"It's pretty much hands-on with every group on the team. That's why it's a lot of fun every day," Aylward explained. "And these guys have done a great job…there's a lot of guys making big improvements."
 
 
Season tickets and single-game tickets are on sale now! Call (513) 529-4295 for more information. Miami Football will host its annual Kickoff with the Community on Saturday, Aug. 16 at Yager Stadium. Gates open at 10 a.m.; more information is available here.

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