Long snappers are on the field for every punt, field goal and extra point. But it’s rare they get any attention. If they do, it’s usually because they messed up.
That’s why most fans have never heard of
Ethan Gough. Maryland football’s long snapper has played in 50 games as a Terp, the only man on the roster to do so. He’s yet to fire off a bad snap.
“To not hear his name is a good thing, because he didn’t make any mistakes,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “Ethan is a guy that’s like a sniper.”
Gough doesn’t need the spotlight; his off-the-field impact is what matters to him. And he’s made a big one.
The redshirt senior is a member of Maryland’s leadership council. He was named captain for the team’s Senior Day matchup Saturday against No. 18 Michigan. Gough has CSC Academic All-District, Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar marks on his résumé. But most important to him is the work he does away from football.
Gough is heavily involved in charity and community service. He’s played a big role in multiple donation drives, fundraised to purchase hygiene kits for local kids in need, has volunteered at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. and works with the Project Life Movement to promote bone marrow donation.
“We’re only here for a short time in this world,” Gough said. “The greater the impact that you can have on others, the better it’s going to be. Leaving that footprint to help other people is really what matters.”
Gough’s efforts earned him a litany of honors: a nomination to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, as well as appearances on the watch lists for the Wuerffel Trophy — which honors community service efforts — and the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.
“He’s a servant. He takes any spare time, whatever that he has, and he’s willing to give it up for people,” former Maryland kicker Jack Howes said. “He wants what’s good for people. And that’s also how he’s able to connect with his teammates.”
Gough doesn’t think much of it. He expects it from himself. Leadership and giving back are values instilled in him from a young age.
Gough grew up in Owings, Maryland. His parents, Craig and Marcine, both frequently participate in community service. Marcine volunteers at a local dog shelter. Craig is involved with the local Lions Club and is president of Lions Camp Merrick deep in southern Maryland. Both help out at a local horse rescue.
When Ethan was in elementary school, Craig refurbished and gifted an old car to his secretary, who was in need of one. Ethan was there — the interaction brought him to tears, Craig said.
“I really carried that with me,” Ethan said. “I saw her smile on her face, and that really had a big impact on me, as far as helping others and putting others before yourself.”
The Gough family is a sports family, through and through. Both of Ethan’s brothers played Division I sports. But Gough, the youngest of the three, didn’t have the size of his brothers. Entering high school around 180 pounds, he knew he’d need a specialty to make it in his sport of choice: football.
Gough’s brother introduced him to long snapping when he was just eight years old. When he enrolled at DeMatha Catholic — about a 50-minute drive from Owings — that unique skill paid off. Gough was a designated long snapper beginning his freshman year.
By that point, he was obsessed with the craft.
“I can’t tell you the countless times that he would get me up off the couch and say ‘Dad, come catch and snap with me,'” Craig said. “To this day, on an off week when he comes home, we’re out in the driveway, he’s snapping 50 balls to me.”
Gough frequented events run by Kohl’s Professional Camps, one of the country’s premier specialist training organizations. In July 2019, he was named the top snapper among 76 attendees at a Kohl’s camp in Milwaukee.
“He’s someone that I could never have a bad thing to say about,” said Casey Casper, Kohl’s head long snapping coach. “He’s always been a good guy, consistent snapper, and good person to be in the locker room with.”
By his senior season, Gough was up to around 215 pounds and one of the best long snappers in the 2021 class. He was invited to the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl, a national high school showcase, after his senior season.
Gough and Casper work together in the offseason to this day — and Gough is always sure to stick around and volunteer his time at Casper’s high school camps.
“The guys that I bring in to help me are guys that I’m hand-picking to be a representation of [my brand],” Casper said. “Ethan is one of those very few guys, I’m talking to maybe five to 10 guys at most, that I trust. Ethan’s one of those top guys.”
Gough always wanted to spend his college years as a Terp. His ties to Maryland are deep. Gough’s parents both graduated from the university, and got married in the on-campus chapel. His father was a bouncer at The Cellar — now known as Cornerstone Grill & Loft — in College Park.
Elijah Brooks, the Terps’ running back coach at the time and Gough’s head coach for two seasons at DeMatha, helped him get a spot as a walk-on.
“[Ethan] helped me stand on the table for him,” Brooks said. “Specialists are hard to find … It wasn’t a hard sell when you have a 4.0 [GPA] student who can get admitted into Maryland.”
Gough never looked back once he got to College Park. Saturday will be his 51st appearance for Maryland, a mark that ranks among the highest in program history.
At a position that lives and dies by consistency, Gough has been nothing but that.
“He’s one of the best leaders on our program,” Locksley said. “But because he plays long snapper, people don’t know about Ethan.”
Gough did make headlines for one thing this summer, though. He and teammate Daniel Owens partnered for a fundraiser with Uplifting Athletes, a nonprofit that aims to “harness the power of sport to invest in the lives of people impacted by rare disease,” according to its website.
Their goal was to raise $10,000. As an incentive, both Gough and Owens promised to shave their heads if the number was reached.
The team raised more than double that by July 1. Gough’s hair didn’t recover for months.
“I actually just got my first haircut [in early October],” Gough said.
