Luke Idoni uses Pro Day to show he's an athletic long snapper
When Luke Idoni arrived at Central Michigan for his freshman year, he knew he had a long road ahead.
After a 1st Team All-State performance his senior year, while playing defensive end at Fenton High School, Idoni had to make the switch to long snapper in order to compete at the collegiate level. At the time, playing professionally wasn’t even on his radar.
Idoni took a redshirt his freshman year as he adjusted to life at CMU, then sat all of 2015 without seeing any game action.
After a long wait, Idoni took over the long snapper position in 2016. He played in all 26 games over the next two seasons, before finally being surprised with a scholarship the spring before his senior season, where he played all 12 games.
Idoni received high praise from former coach John Bonamego throughout his tenure at CMU. Bonamego, who spent 15 years as a special teams coordinator in the NFL before coaching the Chippewas, believed Idoni could become an NFL star.
Even though Idoni has a respected coach in his corner, he intends to make it on his own.
“It means a lot coming from Coach Bono, I really do appreciate it," Idoni said. "But if I do make it to the NFL, I want to be there because of my talent, not because I’m like the coach's son or anything."
Idoni showcased his abilities to the 50 professional scouts in attendance on March 14 at CMU's Pro Day. Among the scouts were representatives from all 32 NFL teams, as well as a few scouts from the Canadian Football League (CFL). Although some scouts were there to see other players expected to be selected in the NFL draft, many in attendance made sure to take a look at the long snapper as a potential undrafted free agent option.
“Pro Day just means I get the opportunity to show out to a lot of scouts," Idoni said. "I just want to be able to show that I’m not just a long snapper, I’m also an athlete."
Idoni had an impressive Pro Day performance, highlighted by a 40-yard dash near 4.75 seconds. He also participated in a 3-cone drill and the broad jump, where he jumped 9 feet 6 inches.
Perhaps the biggest moment of the day came when Idoni finally got a chance to get down and snap the ball during on-field drills. For a long snapper, these drills consist of one thing: snapping the ball.
After finding someone to catch his snaps, Idoni stepped onto the field. He then proceeded to rocket seven consecutive snaps to the exact same spot, and that was it for his audition.
“Everyone’s going to be able to say I wish I did this differently, but I came out here and gave it 100 percent," Idoni said. "At the end of the day, that’s all you can do."
As for his chances of making a career in the NFL, Idoni said it doesn’t matter where he goes, even joking that he would be okay with playing in Alaska if he had to.
He also understands his role as a long snapper, knowing that he’ll probably never make headlines. He also realizes that if he’s ever in the news it’s probably a bad thing.
“I’m going to be able to keep my head down, stay out of everybody’s way, and just produce," Idoni. "Not many people want to know what the long snappers name is, and I’m absolutely okay with that.
"If I’m able to do that, it’s a win-win.”
