Between now and national signing day on Feb. 5, The Oregonian is profiling high school football players who are expected to sign with the Ducks.

Name: Tanner Carew

Hometown: Chino Hills, Calif.

Position: Long snapper

Twitter:@tcarew10

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 215

High School: Damien High School

Stats: N/A

Why Ducks fans should be excited:

Oregon fans aren't likely concerned about the name of their next long snapper and that's the way Tanner Carew would prefer it.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder out of Damien High School in La Verne, Calif., specializes in a position of little recognition; a player whose name will only find its way into the game story following a miscue.

"This should be the last article written about him until he graduates," said Chris Rubio, a former UCLA long snapper who was dubbed the "Guru of long snapping" by The New York Times. "No one should know his name and that's exactly how he wants it to be until he graduates and goes pro."

Carew's ability to repeatedly snap a ball with speed and accuracy may never wow the crowd at Autzen Stadium, but it's won over the long-snapping community. Every year Rubio ranks the best snappers in the country, a list that once included graduating Oregon long snapper Drew Howell. This year, Carew is Rubio's clear No. 1.

"He's on a different level," Rubio said. "You can tell him what to do and he does it every time. You tell him to go faster, 'OK'. Put it right on his right hip, 'Not a problem.' He doesn't even have to think about it."

Rubio said Carew's "California quirkiness" helps him at a position that requires near perfection on every attempt. While kickers get most of the attention in pressure-filled situations, it all starts with a snap.

"He's got that laid-back attitude that you want from a long snapper," Rubio said. "You don't want him to be super wrecked and full of nerves out there."

It's easy to see the talent in Carew's recruiting videos. In one drill, Carew stands over a ball, bends over and zips it back 15 yards through a netted target. He then repeats the same tight-spiraled snap, hitting different targets from various distances.

What separates Carew, though, is his ability after the snap. Carew started at linebacker and tight end for Damien and has the athleticism to make additional plays on the field.

"He can snap and go," Rubio said. "This kid can move. He can snap, block and go down field and make plays."

Carew has been snapping throughout his high school career, though he didn't impress Rubio until a Las Vegas camp after his junior year. Rubio had seen Carew when he was a sophomore, but at the camp he noticed a drastic improvement in Carew's delivery. Essentially, when instructed, he was gripping and ripping.

"You can teach form and master it like a golf swing, but then it becomes a mental thing," Rubio said. "You want a lot of confidence. He had that. He was just letting the ball go."

Carew will be brought into the Oregon fold to replace Howell, the No. 1 long snapper in Rubio's 2010 class. Howell took the reins as the Ducks' long snapper in the fall of 2010 and never relinquished the role. At a position that many schools don't carry on scholarship, Howell flourished. Carew will be expected to do the same. Just don't expect to hear about it if he does.

-- Tyson Alger | @tysonalger