BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — If you didn't know better, you'd have guessed that Wisconsin long snapper Connor Udelhoven was campaigning to be a linebacker based on watching him deliver blows to a hand-held blocking pad during practice. This was above and beyond more conventional foot work drills for his specialty.
"I wasn't recruited to be a linebacker or any other position other than long snapper," assured Udelhoven, who has been tapping into the expertise of a "personal trainer" — UW special teams coordinator Chris Haering, a former linebacker at West Virginia and linebackers coach at Pitt.
"He's coaching up every spot on special teams, so he doesn't have one specific position player. And I've been kind of fortunate in getting a lot of one-on-one work. He was a pretty solid linebacker back in his day. And he has been able to teach me a lot of his philosophy to help with long snapping."
The 49-year-old Haering has been a good resource for Udelhoven, who will be among the seniors recognized before Saturday's kickoff and Border Battle against Minnesota at Camp Randall Stadium. That the Gophers will be on the opposite sideline makes it even more special.
Udelhoven is from St. Paul, Minnesota. And, no, he wasn't a linebacker in high school, either. Udelhoven was an undersized center and specialist at Cretin-Derham Hall, a tradition-rich program that produced one of his mentors, James McGuire, a former UW long snapper.
Udelhoven was intent on enrolling at Wisconsin for his schooling, if nothing else. His parents are Cheeseheads. His dad Tom is from Platteville, his mom Susan is from Eau Claire. He was raised as a Badgers fan. So you can imagine his reaction when a UW assistant called and asked him to walk on.
"It has always been a dream of mine," Udelhoven said.
During Udelhoven's transition to college life and football, McGuire took him under his wing.
"I didn't know what to expect," he said, "and it was awesome having that connection. I knew him from high school a little bit. I knew his dad a lot better because he was a teacher. Being able to travel my redshirt year to back up James was a really cool experience."
A year later, McGuire snapped for punts and Udelhoven for placements.
In August of 2014, Gary Andersen, then Wisconsin's head coach, called on Udelhoven to answer a question at a "Bucket Hat Trivia" night during preseason training camp. Andersen asked Udelhoven if he knew how many walk-ons had been awarded scholarships under his watch.
It was a multiple choice: A) 6 B) 8 C) 10.
Udelhoven said 6. Wrong. Anderson said 8. Check that. He meant 9.
And he informed Udelhoven, "You're on scholarship."
Still living the dream, Udelhoven has been snapping for all kicks the last two seasons.
"I didn't really know where the journey would take me," he admitted. "I've been fortunate enough to play in every game since my four years started ticking. I would have never imagined that."
Udelhoven has played in 50 games, one less than co-leaders Vince Biegel and Sojourn Shelton.
"I've been fortunate enough to go to all 14 Big Ten stadiums, which has been neat in itself," Udelhoven said. "On top of being fortunate enough to play, I'm a big fan of college football, too."
UW head coach Paul Chryst has become a fan of the 22-year-old Udelhoven.
"Obviously, he has done a tremendous job doing his job," Chryst said. "He's a really good teammate, a great person and adds value to the team for who he is and what he's doing on the field."
Still, there may not be a more anonymous/unsung player than the long snapper.
"No doubt," said Chryst. "You're only noticed if you're doing something wrong. But you know what? Whatever percentage of fans don't know him, every guy on this team knows every bit about him and what he does and what he means to us."
Conceding that it's a "unique" job, the 6-foot, 228-pound Udelhoven said, "I've been surprised that a lot more people know what a long snapper is. I always kind of like talking about long snapping. Anytime someone shows interest in it, I'm always up to chat about it."
Agreeing with Chryst on the vagaries of the position, he added, "That's not something I mind. If I'm doing my job, I'm staying anonymous. And that's kind of the name of the game. You don't really need people knowing your name."
The Badgers have had a long history of producing quality long snappers. Mike Schneck played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Steelers, Bills and Falcons. He was named to the 2005 Pro Bowl. Mike Solwold played four years in the league with the Vikings, Cowboys, Bucs, Ravens and Patriots.
"I'm going to go out there for Pro Day on campus and see what happens for me," Udelhoven said. "If I'd be fortunate enough to get a call and a tryout that would be awesome. I'm definitely going to throw my horse in the race. But we'll just worry about Minnesota this week and let the rest pan out."
Udelhoven has his own theories on what it takes to be a trustworthy long snapper.
"Really, it's the same snap every time," he said. "There's nothing that the opposing team can do to stop you from what you're doing. There's no way they can block a snap or change what you're doing. It's really just you and the ball and I've always thought that's the unique thing about long snapping.
"You have to make sure it's the same snap every time. You can't worry about what the situation is. Whether you're out there for a snap in the first quarter, the second quarter, the third quarter or the fourth quarter, you need to be on the money."
Haering, a former high school head coach in Pennsylvania (Mt. Lebanon), imparted a bit of wisdom that has positively influenced Udelhoven's mindset.
"He said, 'As a specialist, you can't know what's going on in the game,'" Udelhoven related. "Every time I'm out there, I'm snapping the ball 14 yards or 8 yards and nothing really changes. The only thing that really changes is the added pressure that maybe you put on yourself.
"I kind of have a routine that I do to keep me mentally the same all the time. You have to do that and focus for 2 to 10 seconds — just be locked in for that amount of time for the rep. The only guys out there are you and the holder and you and the punter."
For three seasons, Drew Meyer was the punter and the holder.
Anthony Lotti, a true freshman, has taken over the punting duties.
Connor Allen, a redshirt freshman, is now holding for kicks.
"It has been cool to see everybody in the roles that they've developed this year," Udelhoven said. "Connor has really championed the role of holding. Every day, I try not to burn myself out with too many snaps, but he's always eager for more tosses, more snaps.
"I swear the guy gets over 100 holds a day, maybe more sometimes."
That begged the question, "How many snaps has Udelhoven had at Wisconsin?"
"I don't even know if I could put a number on it," he said. "Spring, summer, fall, games … Geez, it would have to be somewhere over 20,000 or so, I would think. It ends up adding up over five years."
Including his academic investment. Udelhoven, a biological systems engineering major, has varied interests. "I'd like to work in the food industry," he said. "People always tell you, 'Do something you like to do (with your degree).' And I've always liked cooking and eating food."
This past summer, he observed the workings of a local brewery, Karben4.
"They're a smaller company and they do a little bit of everything," said Udelhoven, who got a taste of the inner sanctum of the business. "It's kind of cool to see how they all work together. Just like when you're out on the field. Everybody is counting on everybody doing their little part."
That applies to fellow senior placekicker Andrew Endicott, who replaced the injured Rafael Gaglianone. That applies to kickoff specialist and punter P.J. Rosowski. That applies to Lotti and Allen and, of course, Udelhoven, who will make his final home appearance here Saturday.
Running out of the tunnel is akin to what he has felt and delivered on every snap.
"They've all felt the same," Udelhoven said. "I always get the chills running through me."
