New long snapper Kevin Gallic 'a calming force' for Nebraska football

Indoor practice was about to begin at Lewiston (Maine) High School as Gallic played catch and pretended to be a quarterback.

A freshman still learning football, Gallic didn’t have a set position until the defensive coordinator approached him.

“He puts his hand on my shoulder, and he was like, ‘Son, you will never be a quarterback. But you should be a long snapper,’” Gallic said. “I feel like everybody’s like, ‘What’s a long snapper?’”

Gallic began long snapping the next day. He attended camps as a senior and landed a preferred walk-on offer from New Hampshire, where he spent three years before transferring to Nebraska over the offseason.

Many of the Huskers’ special teams woes in 2024 stemmed from inconsistent pre-kick operations.

Marco Ortiz had been clean and steady as a long snapper in 2023, setting a bar neither Camden Witucki nor Aidan Flege met a season later.

Kicker John Hohl missed what would have been a go-ahead field goal in the final minutes of regulation against Illinois after a wobbly snap left the laces facing only partially outward.

Former special teams coach Ed Foley reached out to Gallic shortly after he entered the portal. A visit was enough to sell him on Nebraska, and he’s now part of a revamped unit under Mike Ekeler.

“I’m gonna bring a calming force to our group,” Gallic said. “I’ve played a lot of football, and I’ve been blessed with that experience. And I want to bring that over to our group, too.”