A special(ist) conversation with Oregon long snapper Luke Basso

No, the long snappers aren't driving Ferraris. Yet.

GoDucks.com photo

EUGENE — We like the specialists here at The I-5 Corridor.

The punters. The kickers. Those guys who do one thing over and over and over again to near perfection. They’re independent. They’re often quirky. And they’re always my favorite to talk with at Oregon’s annual media day, dating back to the days when Aidan Schneider snuck in interviews between naps on the couch during the Taggart administration.

Last fall, we had our annual Special(ist) Conversation with placekicker Camden Lewis. This year, I was very pleased walking into media day when I asked someone on staff who the best interview would be and they didn’t hesitate to reply, “Luke Basso.”

Basso is Oregon’s junior long snapper. He’s from Oregon (Lakeridge HS), has played in 24 games over the last two seasons and was, thankfully, very gracious with me as I pelted him with eight minutes of whatever questions came to mind.

Here are the highlights.

Do you have a favorite snap you’ve ever done? 

That’s a great question.¹ I would say my favorite snap wasn’t a full punt snap. It was definitely when we ran a fake last year against Colorado. That was the most memorable. That was by far my favorite moment of the entire season. But anytime we go out there, like, field goals are always fun. Just punching three points in and celebrating with the guys and running down the field, it’s a good time. 

Is there any place where your skills translate outside of football?²  

That’s a great question.³ I would say the javelin. I threw the javelin in high school and I stopped because I didn’t want to injure myself later on when I was really focusing on snapping. But the motion with your triceps and arms and following through is kind of similar. So yeah, I would say the javelin is kind of a factor in how I got into snapping.

Is there ever a situation where you, the long snapper, get to yell at guys to focus? Like, did you ever give Bo Nix a pep talk last year? 

I would definitely never say anything to Bo. But for special teams, being a fourth-year senior now, sometimes you have to get the young guys in shape when they first get here and show them the ropes and teach them how it is. It was the same way for me. When I first got here you just had to put your head down and work, so I’ve earned a little bit of a right to be able to tell people how it goes. But that’s the big thing for this year is stepping into that leadership role now that I’m older. I still have one more year after this season, but I definitely want to up my leadership role on this team. 

Everyone talks about the bigger-name players and NIL. I don’t want to make assumptions here, but I can’t imagine that you’re driving a Ferrari quite yet. What has your experience with NIL been like and how have you seen that implemented across the locker room? 

My 2007 Xterra is a great, great car. I love driving it. NIL has been fun. For me, it’s not something that I’ve been too worried about. I just love playing at Oregon. And the awesome thing about this team is no one puts it above anybody else. That’s what I really love and appreciate — it’s not something that we really worry about. It’s just about getting on the field and having fun. For me personally, it’s just been great to be here. 

What’s it like when you have a bunch of new guys in the special teams room? You guys do so much stuff on your own, I imagine there’s a new kind of feeling with each group. 

I always love it. Throughout my four years, I’ve had a lot of different special teams groups. But getting to know the guys is a great experience, like making new friends and learning everything about everybody. The chemistry of this group, specifically, is probably the best of any group I’ve been around. Everyone’s connected. We love hanging out with each other outside of football. It’s fun to play football with your friends. 

What would you point to with this year’s chemistry that backs that up? 

The first thing is our ability to work with each other in the weight room, and communicate on the field. And then outside of football, like taking classes together, giving each other rides, going to eat. Fellowship is a big thing that Coach Lanning has implemented on this team and when we go outside of football, it means more. There’s no class groups. The seniors in the spec group are going to hang out with the freshmen. It doesn’t matter who you are. You’re always with each other. 

What’s something with long snapping that people overlook that you’ve improved upon as your career has progressed? 

The mental game. The mental game is always the biggest part. Special teams in general is 90 percent mental. So if you can master that and find a routine — the biggest thing is finding a routine. Every time I’m out on the field it’s, OK, I do a breathing exercise. I repeat a certain sentence to myself.⁴ And then that helps keep me focused on the task at hand, execute and then get off the field and wait until the next play. 

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor

1. Editor’s note: Thank you.

2. Editor’s note: I asked punter Ross James this question, assuming he’d be a monster on the kickball field. “We had a kickball game two weeks ago. I was excited for it. But believe it or not, I didn’t do the best on offense. I was good at defense though. I made a back-shoulder fade catch. Guys were surprised at the speed that I had. I found kicking a little difficult. I also didn’t have shoes on.”

3. Editor’s note: Thanks, again.

4. Editor’s note: I really should have followed up on what that sentence is.