Rocco Underwood
| Florida Gators – No. 42 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Long snapper |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 228 lb (103 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College | Florida (2021–present) |
| High school | Lake Mary (Lake Mary, Florida) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Jonathan Rocco Underwood is an American football long snapper for the Florida Gators. He won the 2024 Patrick Mannelly Award as the top long snapper in college football.
Early life
[edit]Wood is from Lake Mary, Florida.[1] His father, David, was an All-American offensive guard for UCF; his brother, David Jr., played high school football; and Underwood is a cousin to National Football League (NFL) punters Tommy and Johnny Townsend, both of whom played college football for the Florida Gators.[2][3] Underwood attended Lake Mary High School where he played football and basketball.[2]
At Lake Mary, Underwood was used as a wide receiver, tight end and long snapper.[3] He had 44 receptions for 848 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior and then caught 23 passes for 347 yards and five touchdowns as a senior.[2][4] He was mainly recruited to play college football as a long snapper, receiving a ranking of number one nationally at the position by Rubio Long Snapping.[4] He was ranked a six-star prospect by Rubio and committed to play for the Florida Gators.[5]
College career
[edit]Underwood redshirted as a freshman at Florida in 2021, appearing only in their 2021 Gasparilla Bowl game against UCF.[4] In 2022, he appeared in 13 games, recording one tackle and one fumble recovery.[4] The following year, he played in all 12 games and made a total of one tackle.[4] As a junior in 2024, Underwood played in 11 of 12 regular season games and tallied three tackles and a fumble recovery, being named second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Patrick Mannelly Award winner as the best long snapper in college football.[6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Rocco Underwood". ESPN.
- ^ a b c Hays, Chris (July 27, 2020). "Underwood becomes first Florida commit under Perry". Orlando Sentinel – via PressReader.com.
- ^ a b Hays, Chris (October 21, 2019). "Alabama offers 2021 Lake Mary long-snapper Rocco Underwood a scholarship". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ a b c d e "Rocco Underwood". Florida Gators.
- ^ Goodall, Zach (December 16, 2020). "Long Snapper Rocco Underwood Signs With the Florida Gators". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Brockway, Kevin (December 10, 2024). "Florida football long snapper Rocco Underwood earns second-team, All-SEC honors". The Gainesville Sun.
- ^ Hall, Graham (December 14, 2024). "Rocco Underwood named 2024 Mannelly Award Winner". 247Sports.