NSU long-snapper up to the challenge of next season

Cody Prejean thrives on accuracy.

In fact, the 22-year-old’s job hinges on it.

For the last three years, Prejean has been the long-snapper for the Nicholls State Colonels, getting the ball to teammates on punts and field goal/extra point attempts.

Although he may never score a touchdown or get his own highlight reel, it is his job to insure that the snap is near perfect.

He was a member on the Colonels’ first and only Southland Conference Championship team and recently attended a California-based camp specifically designed for long-snappers.

SportsNet caught up with the Napoleonville native to talk about his experience and playing his final season as a Colonel.

SportsNet: As you enter your final season at Nicholls, what do you hope to accomplish?

Cody Prejean: I hope to go out there and impress some people, maybe catch a few scouts’ eyes. I hope I don’t have any bad snaps and I hope we can experience another conference championship.

SN: How has the off-season been so far?

CP: It’s been going good so far. I’m doing summer school but I’ve been working out with the team. We recently got a new strength coach, so we’ve been working hard.

SN: How do you handle the pressure knowing that if you make a mistake, you could cost your team a game?

CP: When I go out there, I just snap. At times, I’ll think about it before a game. But once I get out there, I clear my mind and do what I’m supposed to do. I thrive off of the pressure and it’s the adrenaline rush I get from that that keeps me going. I just keep in my mind that ‘I am the best long-snapper in the country’ and that this is going to be a perfect snap.

SN: How hard is it to snap. It has to be harder than it looks?

CP: People say it looks easy, but it’s not meant for everybody to do it. There is a lot of technique and mechanics involved to get a perfect snap right on the (quarterback’s) hip. There is a lot of concentration involved. Not everybody can do it. It’s a whole lot more than just throwing a ball through your legs. It’s holding the ball properly and knowing what you are doing to get a good snap.

SN: You recently went to California for snapping camp. What was that experience like?

CP: It was phenomenal. The guy that puts it on does a really good job and knows what he’s doing and how to teach it. It is definitely an experience that helped me learn a lot. I didn’t think I needed help, but when I went there I discovered I needed more help than I thought.

SN: How did you hear about this camp?

CP: I got a letter in the mail saying I was invited. I took the invitation right away and went out there and showed them what I had.

SN: Were there any scouts there?

CP: No. It was just a camp to help long-snappers.

SN: Did you do any surfing while you were out there?

CP: The airport was actually three miles from the beach, so I probably could have, but I didn’t. They took us to Downtown Burbank and walked the strip, but they didn’t take us surfing.

SN: You were a member of Nicholls’ first Southland Conference Championship team in 2005. What was that like?

CP: It was awesome. Knowing that out of all of the athletes to have played football at Nicholls, I was on the team to experience the school’s first-ever conference championship is an honor. It’s definitely something all the guys on that team can remember for a lifetime.

SN: Being from Assumption, you were near Nicholls. Was playing for Nicholls something you always wanted to do as a kid?

CP: Definitely. Every Saturday my dad and I would go watch Nicholls play. We never went to watch LSU play; it was always Nicholls in my house. When I was little, I told my dad one day, ‘I’m going to be out there playing for the Colonels,’ and here I am.

SN: What’s it like having your family tailgating at every game?

CP: I love all the support from not just my family, but also my extended family like all my friends. Everybody probably says this, but I feel like I have one of the best families in the world. They paid for the trip to California. It’s awesome seeing the support.

SN: What is your favorite tailgating food?

CP: I like my dad’s rabbit sauce piquante.

SN: What is the best piece of advice someone ever gave you and who gave it to you?

CP: It was my dad when he was my coach as a kid. He would always tell me, ‘Never give up’ and ‘Go after your dream.’ In high school, I was told by my head coach that I couldn’t play college ball. My dad was with me every step of the way and kept encouraging me not to give up at a time when I wanted to. I pushed through it and here I am now in my senior year at Nicholls.

SN: Now, you share the same initials as New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul. If you were playing him in a 15-point pickup game, how many points would he have to spot you to win?

CP: I wouldn’t win, but if I had to guess I’d say he would probably have to give me 14 points.

SN: What are your plans after football and Nicholls?

CP: Hopefully, I get the opportunity to take my career to the next level. Hopefully, I can find an agent to help me out after the season. If that doesn’t happen, I’ll get a job, and I plan to go back to school and finish getting my nursing degree.