Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet is one of quarterback Caleb Williams’ favorite passing targets, and when he’s not catching the ball, he’s blocking for the Bears’ running backs. But in last week’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, he helped out in still another way: long snapping the ball for point-after attempts.
Cole Kmet (No. 9) lines up as a defensive end in high school, while also playing tight end and taking reps as a long snapper.
On Wednesday, Kmet was named the Special Teams Player of the Week by the NFL. He is believed to be the first long snapper to win the award. According to the Bears media sources, Kmet takes a few reps as long snapper at every practice, as an emergency backup.
On Sunday, when the primary long snapper, Scott Daly, left the game in the first quarter, Kmet got the call — and he answered it. He successfully snapped the ball in four point-after kicks by Carlos Santos and another for a field goal, though the kick was blocked.
While Bears fans and the broadcasters who called the game were shocked, Kmet’s unsung talent as long snapper did not surprise his former coaches at Saint Viator High School.
Cole Kmet stays in touch with his former coach and teacher at Saint Viator, Fr. Dan Hall, seen here at Notre Dame in 2018
“He was available as a long snapper but he was not the primary one,” says Saint Viator Head Coach Dave Archibald. “But he did take some reps at times in high school during practice.”
Kmet was a versatile player in high school, his coach says. He played tight end on offense, as a defensive end on defense and he even came in at times as quarterback, when the offense went into a wildcat formation.
“I would typically put him in wildcat in short yardage or goal line situations, with a heavy backfield of blockers because he was so difficult to stop,” Archibald says. “He had a touchdown in this formation in our first round playoff win at Boylan Catholic in 2016.”
Kmet’s special teams coach in high school was Fr. Dan Hall, CSV, who smiles when he thinks back to when he was considering Kmet as a potential long snapper.
“He was not our primary snapper,” Fr. Hall says, “but when push came to shove, we knew he was available.”
Archibald adds that while Kmet was such a versatile player for the Lions, and he did take reps as the long snapper in practice, he tried not to put him in. When the special teams came in, Archibald said, it was the one time he could get Kmet off the field for a rest.
Kmet with SuburbTalk Editor Eileen Daday in April at Notre Dame
“I can’t say that Cole surprises me with what he does on the field. Certainly he had to put in the work at Notre Dame and continue to progress in the game, but the potential of an NFL path was something I saw when he was in high school,” Archibald says. “With the long snapping, as a backup in the NFL he is still getting reps at practice to keep him ready if called upon, and he has the size, coordination, toughness and work ethic to do whatever he is asked to do for the team, and to do it well.”
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