In a rarity for college football, Elijah Stein orally committed to the University of Arkansas on Tuesday as a scholarship long snapper.
Stein, 6-3, 215 pounds, 4.77 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Cambridge, Wis., chose the Razorbacks over interest from Wisconsin, Stanford, Baylor and Illinois. He made an unofficial visit to Fayetteville earlier this month.
"The facilities there are just crazy," Stein said.
Kohl's Kicking rates Stein a 5-star prospect and the No. 4 long snapper in the nation. While his ranking is impressive, Jamie Kohl -- the director of Kohl's Professional Camps -- said on the website that the velocity on Stein's snaps is elite.
"Stein is a special talent in the 2022 class and someone who still hasn't reached his full potential," Kohl said. "He snaps one of the fastest footballs I have ever seen at the high school level, but is also one of the most consistent. During the Kohl's Texas Showcase, he finished with a blazing snap time of .64 seconds and scored on 10 of his 12 long snaps."
When Stein was notified of his recent scholarship offer, he did not hesitate to accept.
"Long snappers, it's not super common to be offered a scholarship, so I know it's an opportunity I didn't want to pass up," Stein said.
Of the top 55 snappers in Kohl's ranking, only Stein and Texas commitment Lance St. Louis have Power 5 offers. While snappers usually don't receive the same attention as other prospects during the recruiting process, Stein said Arkansas special teams coordinator Scott Fountain was constantly reaching out to him.
"He really called me often, like once a week, sometimes twice a week, and really took time out of his day to talk to me, which really meant a lot," Stein said. "I was getting letters and all that stuff, but when they're actually taking time out of their day to talk you, that meant a lot to me."
Stein, who also plays linebacker and tight end for his high school, has been selected to play in the 2022 All-American Bowl on Jan. 8 in San Antonio. He looks forward to being coached by Fountain.
"Definitely a guy I could get along with and I could definitely see myself seeing at practice every day," Stein said.
Stein started snapping as a freshman but only recently focused on his craft.
"To be 100% honest, I really only started taking it serious about eight months ago," he said.
Stein is the 11th commitment in Arkansas' 2022 class. Oral commitments are nonbinding.