Plenty of players double up their regular duties on a football team with special teams. Linebackers playing on kickoff coverage is common. Receivers returning kicks is too. Defensive backs playing on the punt team is normal as well.
But quarterbacks as long snappers? Now that’s unique.
That’s what double duty looks like right now for quarterback Joe Spaziani, though.
“He wants to get on the field and you appreciate that,” London said. “I coached with Frank, his father, at Boston College. The way a lot of these special teams elements are line, you don’t have to have a big, big guy there. As long as you’re accurate, fast, and can run downfield and cover. That’s what we’re looking for. He wants to find some kind of way to get on the field whether it’s snapping or holding.”
That Spaziani is a team player and willing to play any position isn’t too surprising since he’s a coach’s son. Spaziani’s father Frank was the head football coach at Boston College from 2009-2012. Earlier in his career, Frank Spaziani coached at UVa under George Welsh (1982-91), including a stint as defensive coordinator from 1985-1991.
Joe Spaziani played quarterback and safety at Hingham High School in Massachusetts, but his senior season in 2013 ended after just three games when he broke his leg. Still, his athleticism allowed him to pass for more than 2,220 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 920 yards and 14 touchdowns in his final two seasons. He also played basketball.
Now he’s trying to see if that athletic ability can get him on the field at long snapper or possibly holder. Starting quarterback Matt Johns held down the latter spot the last two seasons, but he’s unlikely to be the holder with no proven back-up quarterbacks on the depth chart. Johns was still listed as the starter on the post-spring depth chart, but Greyson Lambert had not yet transferred to Georgia.
Spaziani is competing with fellow quarterback Andrew Mackay and punter James Coleman at the holder spot.
“I talked to Matt about that because in his mind, he’s the best one to do the job and I can’t disagree with him,” special teams coordinator Larry Lewis said. “But we’re developing a couple of kids right now because I don’t know that you want your starting quarterback sitting there with his knee down. All it takes is one knucklehead coming off the edge to dive at you.”
