Let’s sat the stage.
Army is playing Missouri out of the SEC in the Armed Forces Bowl Game this past season. Down 22-21 with 1:11 remaining in the game, the Black Knights went on a “made for Hollywood movie script drive,” as GBK’s Gordon Larson called it.
How fitting was in the end, with just seconds remaining on the clock, that kicker Cole Talley, showed his own resilience by kicking the game-winning field goal (41 yards), after missing one earlier in the game.
Here’s what we would like to ask you Army fans regarding the aforementioned narrative. On that last play of the game, who were the long snapper and holder as Talley hit the game-winner?
Perhaps you may know, but the majority of fans don’t know the names of the snappers and holders, although their roles are obviously essential.
Hence, the addition of Drew Prieto to the 2023 recruiting class is an essential pick-up for Head Coach Jeff Monken and his staff.
According to Prieto, the Army staff has been consistent when it comes to recruiting.
“Coach (Sean) Saturnio reached out to me in February, and we have remained in constant contact ever since,” shared the Prieto, who is out of Marist School in Atlanta, Georgia. “We have developed a great relationship, which is one of the reasons I decided to commit. Coach Saturnio told me there was good news, and then Coach Monken called me and told I had received an offer. I also talk to Coach Cortney Braswell regularly and developed a really good relationship with him.”
The Long Snapper joined tons of recruits last Friday, who was up at West Point for Army’s annual Black & Gold Spring Game, and according to Prieto, it was during that period of time that he decided to pull the trigger.
“I notified the staff that I wanted to commit the Saturday morning after the Spring Game,” he declared. “There was a brunch held for recruits prior to the Army-Navy lacrosse game, and I ended up committing there. I went up to Coach Monken and told him that I wanted to commit. He was very happy and announced it to all of the coaches in the room. It was a great feeling.”
“I had talked a lot with Coach Monken about how special West Point is and how much I enjoyed my visit. I knew I wanted to commit, but I planned on waiting until talking with my mom. However, I called her instead and received her blessing. I went back into the brunch and told Coach Monken that I wanted to play for him.”
And when it comes to the mindset of a long snapper, we think Prieto’s following comments put things in perspective.
“As a long snapper it is hard to have any stats, but I had a very good season with no bad snaps,” he shared. “As a team, we had a very strong season finishing 10-2 and winning the region championship. We played our hearts out, but lost in the quarterfinals by 3 to the eventual state champs.”
“I think that as a Long Snapper, I will be able to bring consistency within the Special teams unit. The current snappers at Army do an incredible job of delivering the same ball every time, and then getting downfield after the snap to make a play. I believe that I will be able to help continue Army's great special teams with my accuracy, consistency, and ability to make a play downfield.”
Needless to say, the prospect out of Georgia is a very welcome addition to the 2023 class and according to Prieto, just being at West Point on Friday truly sealed the deal.
“Although I have been on many recruiting trips in the last year, I have never really been able to interact with players,” he firmly declared. “After the spring game, a player from my high school introduced me to some members of the team. My big takeaway is that they truly are a brotherhood and care about one another. I could tell that everybody cared about each other within in the program, which I think is very special. In addition, I come from an Army family and always knew that I wanted to serve. Attending West Point will provide me with one of the best educations in the country and the honor of being part of one of the richest traditions in all of college football.”
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