The senior has worked himself into the best long-snappers in college football.
The Alabama Crimson Tide football team enters the 2024 season with obvious leaders on both sides of the football. Quarterback Jalen Milroe, guard Tyler Booker, linebacker Deontae Lawson and safety Malachi Moore were voted as team captains before the season began. While no specialist was named team captain senior long snapper Kneeland Hibbett may have gotten an even better honor, a scholarship.
“We gave Kneeland a scholarship. I wasn’t sure even internally how to handle that. I wanted to surprise him, and we did that. He’s got that. He deserves that. He’s rock solid and just a great person. We have senior talks that we do, and he started us off last week. Knocked it out of the park,” said Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer last week.
“You can just see the type of leader that he is and how much the guys trust and believe in him. How much they respect him. The long snapper, right, like many specialists is a guy you undervalue. Most people do, until all of a sudden those times come, the lights are bright, that snap’s not made, that kick’s not made. The punt didn’t end how it’s supposed to. He’s just really trustworthy and he’s great to have on this team.”
Hibbett, from Florence, Ala. enters his fourth season as the Crimson Tide long snapper after winning the job as a freshman walk-on on 2021. He was named to the Mannelly Award watch list in 2023 and again in 2024 which goes to college football’s best long-snapper. After three years as a walk-on Hibbett will play his last year as a scholarship athlete.
“Man, it’s awesome. Coach DeBoer came in and he’s been taking care of a lot of guys from different standpoints of everything we do. So getting a scholarship was a big blessing. He’s been a great coach so I’m excited going into this year with him,” said Hibbett.
Hibbett, unlike most players in an Alabama uniform, will have a good year if he goes unoticed by the fans as he often has. He’s been involved in punt coverage and made a play or two on a returner over course of his three seasons of action, but there may be less of that in 2024 as he looks to expand his game for NFL scouts.
“So this is going to be my first year blocking and snapping as well. My entire college career I’ve been free-releasing, which means when I snap I release down the field. When DeBoer came in I just made that a big point of something that I want of being able to block this year to have a shot at the NFL. That’s something I’ve been working on for many months and I’ve finally got it down and I’m ready for this year,” said Hibbett.
