Snap Chat: Trio of walk-ons in the long-snap mix
Friday, August 28, 2015 | Football, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The mention of special teams rarely engenders much excitement with fans during the preseason, especially for teams locked in quarterback derbies, searching for consistency at receiver and in quest of building an offensive line.
But that doesn't mean special teams aren't paramount to success.
Case in point: Last season's South Carolina game. Breakdowns in kick protection -- a blocked chip-shot field goal in the final minutes, then a blocked punt in the final seconds -- turned what seemed to be a sure victory into a confounding defeat and set in motion the dismissal of Coach Will Muschamp.
With the razor-sharp attention to detail of Jim McElwain and his new staff's emphasis, you better believe the flawless execution of a kick is a goal on the checklist.
Junior Austin Hardin is back at placekicker, while third-year sophomore Johnny Townsend has locked down punting duties. Hardin went 7-for-10 on field goals and 12-for-12 on PATs in splitting time with Frankie Velez last season. Townsend was called to punting duty in 2013 amid the struggles of Kyle Christy and averaged 42 yards per attempt over the final six games, but sat out all of '14 (gaining a redshirt year) as Christy bounced back to take the job.
Come the Sept. 5 season opener against New Mexico State, just who winds up getting the ball to Hardin and Townsend are duties still up for grabs. 
“We've got a really good battle actually at long snapper,” McElwain said Thursday.
Those duties will fall to walk-ons.
Jonathan Haney (left), a fourth-year junior from Tampa Plant, and Ryan Farr, a freshman from Henderson, Nev., have alternated reps at long snapper for most of the preseason. Jacob Tilghman, a freshman from Dayton Beach, could be in the mix, as well.
In fact, McElwain said it may come down to one of them snapping short (extra points and fields) and the other snapping long (punts).
The job of holding is Townsend's with running back Case Harrison, the sophomore from Gainesville who was placed on scholarship Saturday, backing Townsend up.
“They've all built a good rapport,” McElwain said. “Between those guys, I think the timing has been really good.”
