Very few newcomers have turned more heads in ASU football’s first week than Cohl Cabral, who is seemingly seizing every bit of the early opportunity provided to him.

The true freshman has received a healthy amount of reps at long snapper in Mitchell Fraboni’s absence and is now getting second-team snaps at center.

However, he did not see the field much with the first or second team when Camp Tontozona started at Rumsey Park on August 3. Instead, Tyler McClure and Stephon McCray got the first crack at it while Cabral watched.

The downtime did not go to waste, though.

“I may not be in, but every time I’m not in I’m able to stand there and watch what they’re doing,” Cabral said. “(I watch) where their hat placement is, what the play is, what they’re doing, what their signals are, what they’re calling…If I’m only in for three (plays) and I’m out for six, that’s six extra mental reps that I have that I didn’t have before.”

Taking those mental reps is a process for Cabral. He gets the play call from a coach, observes what the team is doing, then thinks about what he would need to do if he were out there. Additionally, he mulls over possible scenarios and changes that may need to be made.

The three-star prospect from Rancho Cucamonga, California, was ranked 64th among offensive tackles in the Class of 2016, and 86th overall among the class’s California recruits. He chose ASU over California, Oregon, Oregon State and Utah.

Cabral is working in familiar territory. He last played center during his sophomore year of high school but has been long snapping since he was in the 8th grade.

Long snapping is perhaps the most specialized role in football — not just anyone can do it, which makes the one playing the position valuable.

“It’s just a lot of practice and technique,” Cabral said. “There’s always something you can tweak with your hands or with how the ball’s coming out of your fingers, how you’re holding the ball, where your head is.”

With a craft as difficult to master as long snapping, Cabral said there may be a bit of a mental barrier when one over thinks it. And although there are so many techniques and tweaks that go into the process, being a successful long snapper boils down to one thing.

“Just get the ball there,” he said.

As Cabral embarks on his freshman campaign with the program, he has noticed the structured and disciplined culture the coaching staff has installed.





No phones in the meeting rooms. All eyes on the coach who is speaking. No wearing hats around the facility.

“That been one thing that’s been really nice to have with all the discipline and getting that right,” Cabral said.

Now that Cabral has taken advantage of the initial opportunity awarded to him, he said it is about continuing to work and learn from the coaches. He specifically mentioned former Sun Devil center Nick Kelly — who has been working with the offensive line as a student coach — as someone he can learn from as he progresses.

“Having him in a position where he was just here playing, he can help me out because he knows what I’m thinking about,” Cabral said.



