GREEN BAY — As the NFL Draft approaches, Luke Elkin, a special teams standout for the Iowa Hawkeyes and former quarterback for Neenah high school is hoping to secure a spot on an NFL roster as a long snapper.
“It was hard for me to pass up playing in the Big Ten, but coming to Iowa was probably the greatest decision I have ever made,” Elkin said. “These past four years have been a blast.”
Elkin had options to play NCAA Division II football at quarterback but opted to walk on as a long snapper at the University of Iowa. By the second game of his freshman year, he was thrust into action in a high-stakes matchup against Iowa State on College GameDay.
“As I was running out to the field, I thought, ‘This is really cool,’” Elkin recalled. “I was super nervous. But then I grabbed the ball and realized, ‘Why am I nervous? I’ve done this a million times.’”
After that game, he never relinquished his starting role. Although he excelled on the field, he initially was a walk-on player, responsible for his own tuition—until over two years into his Iowa career.
“I was heading up to a meeting when our head coach, Kirk Ferentz, came down the stairs and said, ‘Hey Luke, how’s it going?’ I replied, ‘Good, how are you?’ He then said, ‘We’re going to put you on scholarship,’” Elkin said. “Just walking in the hall like it was no big deal.”
Elkin rewarded Ferentz and the coaching staff with consistent and impressive long snapping. This year, he earned All-American honors from the American Football Coaches Association—the first time the organization has recognized the position.
“Being recognized as a long snapper is pretty cool; you don’t often get that,” Elkin noted.
Now, he’s trying to make it to the NFL. Elkin just recently completed his pro day in front of NFL scouts, which he said is pretty crazy looking back on it.
“There you are performing in front of NFL teams, it’s super cool," he said. "This is what kids dream of, just taking advantage of it, there’s nothing to lose out there.”
As for what it would mean to just get a shot to play at the next level:
“Obviously, it’s going to be a hard road to get there, but it’s definitely something that I see in my reach which is good. But just being able to play on Sunday’s is something that i think would be surreal and something that I could take with me for the rest of my life," said Elkin.
