Offensive linemen play a significant role in a team's success, but they usually only get mentioned when they make a mistake. The same treatment can be said about officials, referees, and umpires. One critical sack allowed, or one blown call could erase a near flawless outing. But with long snappers, the pressure is magnified. While other positions have more opportunities to make up for a bad play, the long snapper has no idea how many times they'll be needed, but when they are, they have to be perfect.

Senior Wesley Barnett has served as Nicholls' long snapper since he arrived on campus in 2015. The Ocean Springs, Mississippi native landed on the Colonels' radar thanks to wide receiver coach Sean Murphy, who is from Biloxi, and Barnett's high school coach. The Gulf Coast connection paid off as Barnett has started 41 games and fired off snaps for nearly 230 punts, over 100 made extra points and 45 field goals. If all the kicks are added up, Barnett has chipped in on 249 points. While he's been a vital member of head coach Tim Rebowe's resurgent program, kids just don't dream of being a long snapper.

"I wasn't a long snapper growing up; I played center," Barnett said. "You always hear about the offensive line and how they're unsung heroes, hearing their name only when they mess up. With long snapping, it's like that but on steroids. It's a lot of pressure, but at the same time, it's not. You have one play to be perfect, but then the next might not be until 30 minutes from now. It's very difficult, but at the same time, it's simple. You know what you're doing because you've done it a million times, but it's just fast. You have to be ready when it's your turn to go."

Long snappers are so forgotten about; they aren't even recognized on all-conference teams. But Barnett bases his performance on his fellow specialists' achievements - like Lorran Fonseca's six All-America awards last season.

"My success is Lorran's success, or what Winston Jones does, or what Tyler St. Germain did. When Lorran received All-America I was like 'Alright' - that means I did my job."

Despite being a thankless job, there is still plenty of work in perfecting the craft. Practice makes perfect, but Barnett stressed the need for quality over quantity. Snapping may look like an easy task, but several aspects go into a perfect snap.

"Quality reps are key," Barnett said. "If I go and work by myself and my release is high and I'm off, that day is over, and I move on. It's mainly form, and you do drills to make sure your spirals are on. If your spirals on, then you can get your release point and everything else comes with it. It's repetitions, but not too many that you burn yourself out."

Ninety percent of the long snapper duties involves getting the ball to the holders and punters quickly and accurately. But on punts, they get the opportunity to cover the return and at times, make a tackle.

"Sometimes you get held up and some long snappers don't like that, but to me, if I'm being blocked then that means they're letting a linebacker or someone go free - and they're usually faster than I am," Barnett said. "I always joke that I'm not actually a football player, but when it comes to making a tackle, you enter a different world. When they're coming at you, you're either going to get run over or blindsided. When you get to make that tackle, it's awesome and you feel, not vindicated, but you've done your job and something extra. But I'm a long snapper, not a long tackler."

Barnett is always quick to crack a joke. Last year, he was selected to co-host the Colonel Choice Awards, which is the annual year-end awards show put on by the student-athletes involved with SAAC. With his sense our humor, he's usually seen smiling, even without his replacement tooth. Barnett likes to tell tales of how the original became MIA.

"I have about six or seven stories depending on my mood. But the real one is when I was eight years old, I was folding clothes with my older sister, and she told me to put the towel in my mouth so it would't hit the ground. I did it and she said 'Not like that' and ripped the towel out, along with my tooth. I use it to my advantage now, like I'm going to be a hockey player for Halloween."

The specialists as a group like to play pranks and develop schemes, picking new victims each week. It can range from pulling stunts in the locker room, rigging the ping pong games, or having Fonseca, who also serves as a barber, put questionable designs in teammates' hair.

Several memories have been made for Barnett during his career - on and off the field - but one snap in 2015 sticks out the most. In his freshman season, which was Coach Rebowe's first campaign as well, Nicholls ended the year at Southeastern Louisiana with a game-winning field goal by Francisco Condado as time expired to claim the River Bell.

"That was the first hostile environment I ever played in, and it was my first-ever snap for a game-winning field goal. With me being a freshman - I was nervous," Barnett said. "It was even crazier that Francisco didn't even know it was a game-winner until everyone stormed the field. It just turned into pandemonium."