Snyder ready for Rutgers

A future on the college gridiron is rapidly approaching for Cumberland Valley High School senior Kevin Snyder. In a little more than a month's time, Snyder will arrive at Rutgers where he'll have a very good chance of seeing the field as a true freshman. For the 6-foot-3, 225 pound Snyder, that time can't come soon enough.

"I am chomping at it, I just can't wait," said Snyder. "I'm doing everything here, the lifting and stuff just trying to get into the routine. I can't wait to get up there and start a new career."

At Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg, Pa., Snyder was a standout on both sides of the football.

Not only was he dangerous as a linebacker, but he was equally as dangerous with the ball in his hands coming out of the backfield.

He is listed on rivals.com as a linebacker recruit, but could very well find himself lining up at tight end when training camp begins.

"I'd be absolutely open to that," said Snyder. "I've always been an offensive guy. I've been changing my thought process on football, but I've always been an offensive type of guy."

Armed with a very high football IQ, Snyder is one of the early favorites to see the field as a freshman regardless of where he lines up.

"If I'm not going to be up there on the depth chart at one position, I have no problem with them putting me somewhere else," said Snyder. "Anytime you can get on the field, that's a good opportunity. As soon as possible is great."

Snyder's last trip to Piscataway came on the weekend of Rutgers' spring game and offered him a glimpse of what he will see on a day-to-day basis in the very near future.

"I really liked it," Snyder said of the spring game. "I got a chance to talk to all the guys from my class who were there. I also got to talk to a couple of the guys in the 2012 class. It was good to get to kind of see what the new offense looks like, what direction they're going down and what the defense looked like. I liked it."

Before Snyder can reach his goal of playing as a true freshman he will have to undergo the rigors of training camp.

However, he is looking forward to what will be his first go-round through the dog days of August.

"I was talking to the coaches about it and they were saying it's not as physical as a lot of people make it out to be," said Snyder. "It's just a whole lot more learning."

And whether it is catching passes as a tight end or chasing down ball carriers from the linebacker position, Snyder is anxious to see how he measures up against Big East competition.

"As a competitor, I just like to compete against everybody. And everybody's a good athlete once you get to this level, so is going to be fun just to see what I'm really made of when I get there."