Ferlmann continuing Arizona's long snapping tradition locally at ASU
This is No. 8 in a month-long series of profiles of Arizona high school seniors that signed with four-year colleges. Here's the full list (currently totaling 256) of players from within the state moving on to the next level.
SPOTLIGHT: 2/14/21
Boulder Creek, which rose from a 4-7 season in 2019 to become the top seed in the 6A playoffs, had some Division I talent on its roster.
There was quarterback Bear Milacek, who signed with New Mexico. There was all-world running back Jacob Cisneros, who went Ivy League and signed with Penn. Offensive lineman Jacob Moore held an offer from UTEP, but has decided to take a wrestling scholarship at Western Colorado. But that wasn't all. Many fans may not be familiar with John Ferlmann.
That's because Ferlmann is a long snapper. A critical part of the special teams, the one that centers those deep balls to punters or holders which are normally only noticed when something goes wrong.
Ferlmann, 6-3, 225, is rated as a 5 star with Rubio Long Snapping. He will technically be a walk-on at Arizona State, but holds an academic scholarship with the school. Ferlmann has been honing his craft since before starting high school.
"I started messing around with it in front of my coach and he put me in," Ferlmann said in an e-mail interview. "I first realized I could go to college for it when I was a sophomore. I was clearly better than any competition on our team or other teams and it motivated me to pursue it."
Ferlmann transferred from Gregori HS in Modesto, California to Boulder Creek following his junior year. He represented Arizona at the Rubio Top 12 Camp last summer in Dallas. It was a memorable experience for him as 40 of the top snappers in the country stayed in the same hotel.
"There were no parents and it just allowed for a more college-like feel as each individual had to perform on their own without any coaching or aid," Ferlmann said. "It revealed which guys could compete and who was really cut out for D-I football. Big shoutout to Rubio for running an amazing camp."
Ferlmann made the final cut for the Top 12 and is ranked No. 8 nationally by Rubio for the Class of 2021.
He also had offers from Air Force and Arizona. Ferlmann likes the environment about ASU that cultivates talent and provides exposure for both football and business endeavors.
"ASU is first and foremost an amazing school for business and it provides a great college experience," Ferlmann said. "On top of that, a competitive Top 25 program that is on the rise with (Head) Coach Herm (Edwards). If you're an upcoming player on the West Coast, why wouldn't you want to play there?"
Arizona State was his first offer in June and Ferlmann acted on it a couple months later.
Aside from being a long snapper, he started at defensive end both at Gregori and Boulder Creek. He made First Team All-Conference at both places at that position. Last season with the Jaguars, Ferlmann had 48 tackles and two sacks in nine games.
In addition to his work with personal training and camps, Ferlmann has gotten it done in the classroom too and carries a 3.93 GPA. That's what helped get that academic scholarship.
Gregori competed in the Central California CCAL League, which is part of the San Joaquin Section in Division I. Ferlmann was impressed with the level of competition Arizona had to offer during his senior season.
"6A football in Arizona is big time and leads to the same exposure as anywhere else in the country," Ferlmann said. "Definitely something every recruit wants and works for. Definitely a step up from CCAL in Modesto and Stockton, CA."
Arizona State had 17 athletes sign with the team for this class, including Queen Creek offensive lineman Isaia Glass. The group includes players from 11 different states. The Sun Devils (2-2) closed an abbreviated 2020 football schedule with wins over Arizona (70-7) and Oregon State (46-33). Against the Beavers, ASU rushed for 375 yards, which was the sixth-highest single-game total in program history.
Ferlmann has enjoyed being in the tight-knit community of Anthem, which just has one high school in its area.
"I just want to thank Boulder Creek High School for providing an environment that every player can thrive in," Ferlmann said. "It's a place where coaches invest into you and really want to see you succeed. I would also like to personally shout out Coach Cas (head coach Tony Casarella) for welcoming me into the program and supporting me. Coach Simons is another coach that will do anything for his players and provides a family-like feel to anyone that plays under him. Lastly, I want to thank Coach Loscalzo and Coach Kitson for believing in me and supporting me the whole way, couldn't have done it without them."
