Football is known as a sport of brute force, where strength and might dominate. While Colorado State football has plenty of both, arguably the most successful position so far this season has been the one that relies the most on finesse: the long snapper.
One man wears this crown for the Rams: Walker Himebauch.
Himebauch, a transfer whose consistency has been lauded by coaches and media alike throughout his career, stands at 6-feet-1 and 225 pounds, far from the typical frame of an NCAA Division I football player.
“My dad introduced me to snapping when I was in high school,” Himebauch said. “I told him I wanted to play Division I football, and he was like, ‘Hey buddy, I think you’ve got a chance, but there’s only about one position you could probably do it, because you’re not (going to) get much bigger than this.’”
Walker Himebauch’s father has the experience to back up that assessment.
Walker Himebauch is far from the first D1 athlete in his family, as his grandfather, Jack Himebauch, played wide receiver at Miami (Ohio), and both his uncle, Curt Himebauch, and father, Jonathan Himebauch, played at Southern California, and his younger brother Tyler, is committed to play long snapper at Boise State.
Jonathan Himebauch, now an offensive line coach for the United Football League’s Arlington Renegades, played professionally from 1998 until 2002, including suiting up for the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squads.
“As a long snapper, you only get six to eight plays a game. … You’ve got to be perfect every single rep, and everyone knows when you aren’t. If no one really knows your name, I think that means you do a pretty good job.” –Walker Himebauch, CSU long snapper
During the UFL offseason, Jonathan Himebauch runs a private coaching business in Monument, Colorado, where Walker finished out his high school career for the Palmer Ridge Bears.
“It feels like a lot of guys, when they’re playing special teams, don’t really have the well-versedness of offense and defense, and that was the blessing of being a coach’s kid,” Walker Himebauch said. “I remember being on the sideline, going to practice with my dad. I come from generations of coaches, so I think it’s really helped me prepare.”
Walker Himebauch then made his way to Kentucky, where he made an immediate impact. During his career there, he suited up for 19 games, earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors in 2023.
“I enjoyed my time in Kentucky,” Walker Himebauch said. “As an 18 or 19 year old, being able to play in that conference like (the SEC), being able to play in front of that many people, … I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Despite this, Walker Himebauch decided to come back to the Box State, rejoining his family.
“I came back because my family is still out here,” Walker Himebauch said. “Having them so close down the road, about two hours away, is nice. My brother, Tyler, is a senior at Palmer Ridge, my girlfriend plays volleyball at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and I just have a lot of friends and family at CSU as well.”
An unanticipated bonus of Walker Himebauch’s transfer to CSU is the camaraderie that comes from a roster with 22 players from Colorado.
“It’s really like a family here,” Walker Himebauch said. “Everyone cares about each other, no matter if you’re a running back, a defensive back or whatever. Everyone’s tight, dapping each other up and I just love it. It just makes it so much easier coming every single day, and people have been super accepting since I’ve been here.”
When it comes to Walker Himebauch’s performance, the team has good reason to be satisfied; he gets his job done and does it well.
“His job is like every other specialist: get the ball back in a timely manner and let our kickers get rhythm,” CSU head coach Jay Norvell said. “(Walker Himebauch has) done a fantastic job of that so far. He’s a quality long snapper.”
Most long snappers never get to hear their name on a play-by-play broadcast a result of the position’s purpose and operations. The best long snappers, like Walker Himebauch, go unnoticed for a reason, which he said took a long time to get used to.
“It takes some adjusting,” Walker Himebauch said. “I didn’t know how to handle it, because in high school, I wasn’t really coming off of the field. As a long snapper, you only get six-to-eight plays a game. … You’ve got to be perfect every single rep, and everyone knows when you aren’t. If no one really knows your name, I think that means you do a pretty good job.”
Whenever Walker Himebauch does see the field, he is lining up opposite 300-pound men who are looking to run straight through him.
“You have to be dang near perfect every single rep,” Walker Himebauch said. “It’s not like offense or defense where you’ve got second or third down to come back at it. You’ve got one shot, and it is definitely hard.”
That pressure can really get to someone, so long snappers like Walker Himebauch have developed their own rituals to stay ready on the sideline to keep their brains and fingers ready.
“When you’re doing the exact same thing for every single rep, no curveballs are getting thrown at you,” Walker Himebauch said. “I put my hands on my back, wipe them off on my towel, and just get the same repetition to simulate as close to a game as I can. … It’s a confidence thing. You know your routine; you’ve done it so many times that you just go out there and do your thing.”
Including this season, Walker Himebauch has two years of eligibility remaining, and he’s excited to walk the rest of that road for the CSU Rams.
“As a snapper, especially being from Colorado, … it’s awesome,” Walker Himebauch said. “I’m just so grateful to be here.”
Reach Gideon Aigner at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @GideonAigner.