On a blustery day last week, Eastern Washington long snapper Cory Alcantar was being carried away by his emotions.
“It’s been amazing, and I feel so blessed to be here – I feel like I won the lottery,” said Alcantar, who certainly beat the odds last summer in becoming the first junior college transfer in recent Eastern history.
“We really don’t recruit JCs, but we felt like he would compete right away,” Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin said. “Ultimately he took it over and has run with it.”
Alcantar has jumped with it too. On off days, he and punter Jake Miller routinely scale the fence at Roos Field, where Alcantar works on his spiral, and his placement.
“Jake knows the position better than I do,” said Alcantar, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound senior from Yucaipa, Calif., who also played offensive and defensive line in high school.
Fans probably haven’t noticed, and that’s a good thing: long snappers are almost invisible until something goes wrong.
“We were looking for a kid who could come in and play right away,” said special teams assistant Jeff Schmedding, who was able to watch Alcantar during a junior college game instead of a practice.
“I could see a kid who had talent,” Schmedding said.
After arriving last fall, Alcantar said he’s grateful for the tips and coaching, which have come not only from Schmedding and Baldwin, but also from offensive line coach Aaron Best and his players.
“I just feel blessed to have the opportunity,” Alcantar said.
