Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Appio scholarship emotional for Herd long snapper
9/14/2020 8:54:00 AM | Football, Big Green Scholarship Foundation, Word on the Herd
Redshirt junior is in his first season with regular playing time
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Zach Appio, Marshall's long snapper with the fitting nickname of "Snappio," sat in the meeting room inside the Shewey Building. The room was dark as coaches used projectors to review with players.
Then, a photo of Appio flashed on the screen with these words: ZACH APPIO CONGRATS! YOU'RE ON SCHOLARSHIP
The lights in the room were flipped on and Appio buried his face in his hands as teammates reached to pat him on his head and shoulders. Near the end of the video, Appio pulls his gray T-shirt up to wipe tears from his eyes.
"I had no idea," Appio said. "As soon as it popped up, that reaction, my body went numb. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't eke out any words. I was literally speechless."
Appio, a redshirt junior from Normal, Illinois, received the scholarship before he officially took starting duties from the graduated Matthew Beardall, who departed the program with four consecutive seasons of All-Conference USA honors: All-freshman in 2017; honorable mention all-conference in 2018; and first team all-conference in 2019 and 2020.
Those are big shoes to fill, for sure, but the surprise scholarship is an endorsement from the Thundering Herd coaching staff.
"It's a weight off my shoulders," Appio said.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder started long snapping in the seventh grade. Although his frame belies traditional thought of an offensive lineman, Appio was already the team's center when a knee injury sidelined him. He picked up the new position coming back from the injury, and it became clear to him that if he wanted a football career beyond Central Catholic High School, long snapping would be the path. Although Beardall was bigger at 6-2 and 218 pounds, neither he nor Appio are the size of fellow collegiate linemen. That's not a deterrent for long snapping.
"People are always surprised by my size," Appio said, "but there are a lot of smaller long snappers now. It's not a big deal."
Appio was a 2017 graduate of Central Catholic, which sits halfway between Peoria and Champaign in Illinois, and a couple hours south of Chicago. When Marshall expressed interest in the long snapper coming to Huntington, Appio didn't hesitate. He waited three seasons while Beardall snapped, but improved and learned from his predecessor at the position.
"His mentality was the biggest thing," Appio said. "I would always be so hard on myself on bad snaps, but with Matt, even when he had a bad snap, he came back with five great ones. That bad one is going to come, but it's what you're going to do after that."
And Appio's position is crucial in a year where Marshall had to replace its long snapper, holder and kicker. Beardall graduated, and holder Jackson White opted to start his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of South Carolina. Justin Rohrwasser, the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year last season, was the first kicker selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.
"The operation is big," Appio said. "You need a lot of trust. The holder needs to trust the long snapper, knowing he's going to give him the ball in the right location and give him laces so he doesn't have to turn it as much. The kicker has to trust the holder that he's going to get the ball down in time. It's a big trust operation."
Now, about the nickname. Appio said he was first called "Snappio" in high school, but the name didn't stick. It wasn't until he arrived at Marshall and former assistant Mike Treier asked if he had any nicknames. Appio mentioned "Snappio" and Treier embraced it.
"He loved that one," Appio said. "The name spread like wildfire in the locker room and the coaching staff."
Congrats, Snappio, on the scholarship and one of the best nicknames in college football.
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and an eight-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
