Senior long snapper Luke Idoni to play final season under scholarship
Senior long snapper Luke Idoni poses for a portrait at CMU Football Media Day on April 5 at the Indoor Athletic Complex.
Central Michigan football's awards banquet last December was supposed to be another night of celebration for long snapper Luke Idoni.
Little did the senior know that part of the festivities were going to be in honor of him.
After starting every game during the 2016 and 2017 season, Idoni was finally presented with a scholarship, something he's yearned for since redshirting his freshman year.
"It was a great experience," Idoni said. "I had no idea that it was happening so it definitely caught me off guard. It was a great surprise."
Long snappers have one of the toughest job's in football, he said. Its expected that those who take the snaps for field goals, extra points and punts are perfect, and if they're not, it's publicized quickly.
Aside from the negatives, the position has been heavily concentrated by college coaches in their recruiting efforts. For Idoni, it was his best opportunity to play football beyond the high school level.
"I was the fat kid growing up so I had to be the center," he said laughing. "And I would just chuck the ball as far back as I could. But when I finally hit puberty, I transitioned into long snapping, and it worked out."
Idoni was a standout defensive end at Fenton high School — earning first-team all-state honors in 2013 for his astonishing 23 sacks and 115 tackles. But, in order to play collegiate football, he had to become a specialist.
"Guys who come up doing that job understand the importance of it," said CMU head coach John Bonamego said. "You don't recognize it unless its not done correctly, then everybody knows it."
As Central Michigan finishes up its third week of spring practice, the team has looked at who will long snap once Idoni graduates, who was named to the NCAA Division I District 5 Academic All-District Team in 2017.
The presumed next man in line is Lake Orion freshman Jeff McCarty, who is currently the backup. CMU will have three long snappers on the roster once fall camp begins.
"Jeff's like a sponge, he takes in all the info that I give him," Idoni said. "He implements it in everything that he tries. He's done a great job in getting better and taking the helm once I'm gone."
Idoni called these spring practices bitter-sweet knowing that it's his last one. But there's still unfinished business left, as gunning for a MAC championship is Idoni's motivation.
And he'll do so by staying out of the limelight.
"It means he's doing his job," Bonamego said. "Snapper isn't a position that you want to talk about very often."
