starting long snapper Camaron Cheeseman opting out, leaving

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on September 23rd, 2020 at 4:53 PM

According to his twitter post.

The 5th year senior is moving on, opting out and going to train in hopes of playing at the next level. 

Michigan is left with just two LS on the roster. Sophomore William Wagner and true freshman Greg Tarr.

Greg Tarr was ranked the #6 LS in the country by something called Rubio Snapping.

He was named a Polynesian Bowl All-American while playing at Romeo High School (586!). 

ldevon1

September 23rd, 2020 at 5:13 PM ^

Of all the decisions not to play, this has got to be the strangest. Unless he has some underlying condition that makes him vulnerable to Covid. I'm not sure what long snapper does in training to prepare for the next level, because that's not a position teams usually draft. Good luck Cam Chesse. 

Imjesayin

September 23rd, 2020 at 7:26 PM ^

You're correct. They don't get drafted. But you're not thinking ahead.

Now that he's done with playing college football, he is IMMEDIATELY available to get picked up by an NFL team that might need him NOW. He doesn't have to wait until next NFL season since ... he isn't going to be drafted anyway.

ppudge

September 24th, 2020 at 11:42 AM ^

Is that true?  I don’t think it is.  If you go back for your senior year and then decide not to play, you don’t become immediately eligible for the NFL.  You’d have to wait for the draft - even if you don’t think you’d be drafted - and then you can sign as a FA.  I don’t think that rules changes just because he’s a long snapper who likely wouldn’t be drafted.  He’ll, the Lions could take him as a first round pick next year.

WesternWolverine96

September 23rd, 2020 at 9:46 PM ^

Cheeseman was going to eventually move through the system.   

I am sure this decision was weighing him down for some time.  Hope everything comes out OK. 

I am sure he is bound for success. 

I am guessing there will be a lot of paperwork involved to complete the process.

Mr Grainger

September 23rd, 2020 at 5:28 PM ^

I will always remember the roughing the snapper penalty Wisconsin committed on him early the second half of the 2018 game. That led to a TD which basically opened the flood gates.

Alton

September 24th, 2020 at 9:36 AM ^

Rule 2-23-1-g:  "The snap need not be between the snapper’s legs; but to be legal, it must be a quick and continuous backward motion."

The full criteria for a legal center exchange is: "Legally snapping the ball (a snap) is handing or passing it backward from its position on the ground with a quick and continuous motion of the hand or hands, the ball actually leaving the hand or hands in this motion."  Note that the first motion of a snap must be backward, not up or forward.

 

Swayze Howell Sheen

September 23rd, 2020 at 6:10 PM ^

If ever there was a man who should have played for Wisconsin, it was the Cheeseman.

Weirdly, UW has a player named "Jake Wolverine", so there is that.

And yes, I might have made that up, but this is a message board, dammit, and I'm not going to let truthiness get in the way of a good story.

Don

September 23rd, 2020 at 7:59 PM ^

Maybe he was cheesed off about something... sometimes the bleus really get to you. Apparently he thinks he’s gouda enough to land a spot on an NFL roster.

lsjtre

September 23rd, 2020 at 11:21 PM ^

Sucks for us for sure but the guy coming in to replace him sounds legit and may have pushed him to make that decision to try the NFL but sure will miss him and that epic name

treetown

September 24th, 2020 at 8:32 AM ^

As many have noted the pros and cons of this decision are not always clear to people outside of the situation.

It maybe that he has academic work or personal matters he needs to deal with and this is a graceful way of bowing out without closing the door on football later on.

Since it is not a position anyone drafts for and every year there are stories of someone who simply shows up at a camp and gets on a NFL roster, there might not be any more incentive - it isn't as if a long snapper needs a "lot of tape" to convince people to give him a try out.