GAINESVILLE — Florida Gators long snapper Rocco Underwood has been named the winner of the 2024 Mannelly Award, presented by Zebra Technologies. The award is given annually to the best long snapper in the nation.
Under the guidance of GameChanger Coordinator Chris Couch and Senior Analyst, Joe Houston, Underwood was also named Second-Team All-America by the AFCA and Second-Team All-SEC this season.
The Lake Mary native has been the starting long snapper for the Gators each of the last three seasons. A 6-foot-3, 228-pound former high school tight end, Underwood boasts more physicality than is typical for the position. In 2024, his uncharacteristic athleticism has allowed him to become a weapon in the field position battle to compliment Florida’s Ray Guy Award semifinalist, Jeremy Crawshaw.
Underwood is just the second SEC long snapper to take home the honor, joining Thomas Fletcher (2020, Alabama) who serves as a graduate assistant coach for GameChangers for the Gators.
The Lake Mary High School product comes from a longline of standout football players.
His father, David, was an All-American offensive guard for UCF, while his brother, David Jr., also played at Lake Mary and is a cousin to National Football League (NFL) punters Tommy and Johnny Townsend, both of whom played college football for the Florida Gators.
At Lake Mary, Underwood was used as a wide receiver, tight end and long snapper. He had 44 receptions for 848 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior and then caught 23 passes for 347 yards and five touchdowns as a senior. He was mainly recruited to play college football as a long snapper, receiving a ranking of number one nationally at the position by Rubio Long Snapping. He was ranked a six-star prospect by Rubio and committed to play for the Florida Gators.
Underwood redshirted as a freshman at Florida in 2021, appearing only in their 2021 Gasparilla Bowl game against UCF. In 2022, he appeared in 13 games, recording one tackle and one fumble recovery. The following year, he played in all 12 games and made a total of one tackle. As a junior in 2024, Underwood played in 11 of 12 regular season games and tallied three tackles and a fumble recovery and also had a big hand in the Gators defeating Tulane, 33-8, in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa last week.
