HOBART (NBC 26) — In the NFL, if you don’t notice your long snapper, you probably have a good one.
Brett Welsing, a West De Pere product, has been training at Synergy Sports Performance Center as he tries to make his way into the league.
“A lot of us will joke like if I get noticed, it’s because I did something wrong. So I kind of pride myself in going unnoticed,” Welsing said.
Growing up, Welsing loved football but didn’t envision becoming a long snapper.
“You don’t dream as a kid like I dreamed I wanted to be Ray Lewis, right?” he said. “I was kind of like, oh, this is maybe a way that I could get on the field as a freshman, and so I really worked at it.”
WATCH BRETT WELSING TALK ABOUT HIS LONG SNAPPING JOURNEY!
He got really good at it, starting for the Phantoms in his sophomore year.
But he says it took a lot of time and effort — snapping on his own, with his family, and going to camps.
“Parks, courts, wherever, just really it’s just like anything. You gotta snap, you gotta do it to be better,” Welsing said.
His dad, Rocky Welsing, said Brett was always looking to improve his craft and he has a relentless work ethic that has translated to success.
“He just gravitated to it right away and he’s pulling me and he’s like, hey Dad, I want to snap. Hey Dad, I want to snap. And so, you know, it was really cool to see him find something that he really enjoyed doing,” Rocky Welsing said.
While he played offensive and a little defensive line in high school, he knew long snapping was his ticket to college football.
And it was — Welsing went on to play at the Division I FCS level for Drake University.
“I’d say probably once, once you get to college, that’s when it’s like, okay, hey, we’re playing ball now,” Brett said.
He won the long-snapping job as a freshman. His first game was against North Dakota State at the Fargo Dome.
“I remember running out and it was just loud and I’m like, hey man, this is real,” Welsing recalled. “We walked right down and scored and I trotted out there and threw a snap, we made the (extra point), and that started my career.”
His family made the trip, and his dad said the snap was right on the money.
“All of us were going bananas, hugging each other,” Rocky Welsing said. “You know, it’s funny how something so simple can cause so much joy for an entire family.”
Now, all he’s hoping for is a chance to show teams he has what it takes to make it at the next level.
“Just a shot is what I want because I know if I get a chance, I can go in there and prove myself and show what I can do,” Welsing said.
Welsing recently participated in the Green Bay Packers’ local pro day, held Thursday, April 9, and Friday, April 10.
