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Iowa State University Athletics
Deep Snapper Matt Purvis is Long on Experience, Real Long
08.10.2006 | Football
Former Iowa State deep snapper Landon Schrage is currently in an NFL camp. Finding a strong replacement was important for ISU head coach Dan McCarney, so important he sent assistant coaches across the country to find the best possible candidate. McCarney signed junior college deep snapper Matt Purvis of Tempe, Ariz. to Ames. Purvis has met expectations after an initial week of preseason practice. More interesting is that deep snapping has been a lifetime commitment to Purvis, who started deep snapping for his father when he was eight years old.
When did you start deep snapping?
“My dad (Doyle Purvis) got me started when I was eight years old at our home in Tempe, Ariz. He thought it would be a good investment and told me I could go somewhere with it and he was right. So, now I'm here and proud to be here and my dad is the one who really got me started.”
When you were eight or nine or 10, were you on a football team of any sort or was this just in your back yard that you practiced this?
“I played Pop Warner football ever since I was six years old. I played flag football until I was eight and then we started playing with full pads and tackling.”
Being so young when you first started, did you ever think to yourself, ?Dad, what are you talking about?'
“Yes, my first thought was ?what am I doing here,' I don't like this at all and why is it so uncomfortable. But now looking back on it all I think it was a good thing and I didn't realize how important it was.”
Today the game is getting more and more specialized, but at that time, where did he even get the idea to do this and have you focus on deep snapping?
“I really don't know where he got the idea, but he just told me I needed to do it and that it would get me somewhere so I did it.”
Talking again about your dad, did he play football?
“He played football in Farmington for Farmington-New Mexico. Played as a running back but he was more of a basketball star. He was not a deep snapper himself, however, my grandfather was. My grandfather was a long snapper and a center as well, unfortunately he passed away four years ago.”
Did you ever talk to your grandfather about you being a long snapper?
“He loved that I was going to be a long snapper and I really wish he could be here today to see me play, but I know he is looking down and watching me right now.”
Does your mom follow football at all?
“She knows about football, she has a fantasy football team and follows that and loves it.”
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
“I have one brother. He played football until he was eight years old. He was a really good quarterback and should have kept playing but he wanted to play golf and he had a really good career (on the links). He tried out for the junior college golf team at the same junior college I went to, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community. He made the team.”
So, I assume in high school you were also the deep snapper?
“Yes. In high school I was brought up my sophomore year at the beginning of the year to snap on varsity. So I was varsity snapper from my sophomore year all the way to my senior year.”
Did you play any other positions for your high school team?
“I started at center and defensive end while I was at Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe, Ariz.”
So, when did the college recruiting really start?
“My first recruiting experience was my senior year when I was recruited by New Mexico State. They wanted me to walk-on and snap for them. At first they offered me a full scholarship to come snap so I visited them and when I talked to the head coach he said that they just wanted me to walk-on. This all happened during my senior year, and I decided not to do that because it would cost me way too much money and was not really worth it. So I went to Scottsdale Community College instead because I was recruited there and heard that they had needed a long snapper. So I just went up there and played.”
Our coaches saw you at a camp, so tell me about these camps. How many of them did you go to and how did you know about this one?
“I was at Scottsdale and got a flyer from Chris Sailor (former UCLA kicker that has a national kicking camp). He had a kicking competition and he had a punter Chris Ruby, who he played with at UCLA and they had Chris Ruger the long snapper with them at the camp. I saw him and got in contact with him and told him that I wanted to be a long snapper and he told me to come up to his camp and he started teaching me. I went to probably six or seven of his camps and three of his competitions. Two of (the competitions) were national competitions where scouts come and watch. At one of the competitions, (former ISU assistant coach) DeMontie Cross saw me and picked me up there this past January. I went to three camps, two competitions and one combine. The combine is in May and the competitions in January. The competitions consist of about 70 snappers competing to see if they can get a scholarship. We had at least 40 Division 1 coaches out there.”
So how did this competition go for you?
“Well, it wasn't really a win or lose competition, they just ranked every competitor. I ended up ranked in the top 12, and was second in my class. The number one long snapper in my class ended up going to UCLA, where (Iowa State assistant) coach (Brian) Schneider coached last before coming here. Coach Schneider was at a couple of the camps, but I'm not sure if he saw me.”
Which is more difficult? Snapping to a place holder for a field goal or PAT or snapping to a punter?
“It is kind of hard to say, because in high school I hated field goals. I hated snapping for field goals because it felt so uncomfortable using just your arms rather than your whole body, as opposed to a punt where you use your whole body. Then when I got to junior college I hated doing punts because I didn't feel confident at the time, but now my confidence is back up.”
How do you feel you are getting acclimated here?
“Very well. I like the guys, all of them are real good guys. And I really like the weather, I've never seen rain like this.”
What are you studying or what is your major?
“I'm looking at industrial engineering and am going into the College of ITEC. I'm hoping to get an industrial engineering degree.”
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