There aren’t many professions in life that prompt no credit for doing your job right and all the blame for doing it wrong. That’s the reality for one of the most inconspicuous positions in football – the long snapper.

“It’s fun because it’s one of those positions where nobody knows who you are until you mess up,” junior long snapper AJ Campos said. “You have a lot of power with a game-winning field goal or a punt that’s needed. It’s weird that you have so much power in one single play.”

Most college football teams carry one long snapper, making Campos a lone wolf in the Hornet locker room. Also being of Hispanic heritage, he’s part of a small pack of players in the entire landscape of college football.

In 2023, only 3.28% out of 30,000 Division 1 football players identified as Hispanic or Latino. In the NFL, where Campos said he aspires to go after Sacramento State, that number is less than 1%.

“Just being here alone, it’s such a small percentage that make it,” Campos said in regards to that statistic. “So having that percentage on top of it, I think it’s just a blessing.”

Campos started his football journey when he was 7 or 8 in Upland, California, way before his days of long snapping came to fruition.

Campos said he played tight end and linebacker in high school, until his junior year when he started focusing on snapping. He said having two eventual DI long snappers playing in front of him, one that committed to Washington State and the other to Fresno State, played a pivotal role in his transition.

“I had two great snappers before me,” Campos said. “I got to learn from them, and they kind of brought me in.”

Campos also linked up with Dallas Cowboys long snapper Trent Sieg, who played for his favorite NFL team, the Las Vegas Raiders, during the summer of 2021. Campos said the two trained together in Las Vegas when he was out there for camps.

Campos said Sieg is the reason he changed his number from 60 to 47 this year, which was Sieg’s number.

“It’s kind of a funny story,” Campos said. “Over COVID he would stream, and I was a big Twitch guy. I would watch his streams, and we eventually got to talking. From there I got to know him.”

Campos’ influences on the field are ample, but he said that he wouldn’t be where he is today without his family.

“I have a huge family,” Campos said. “The support that I get from them, and the constant communication is everything. I’m always talking with my cousins, my aunts, my uncles, grandmas, grandpas, all of them. I see them every holiday when I can. They play a huge part.”

Some of his best memories are of Christmas, when his whole family gets together, especially now most of them have all moved away, he said.

“Every year for Christmas my family will go for a whole weekend, and just make a bunch of tamales,” Campos said, with a big smile on his face. “It’s the best.”

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Campos said his family will make the trip up from his hometown for almost every home game to support him; whether it’s a long drive or quick flight, they rarely miss a game.

“He’s definitely a family man,” special teams coordinator Jeremy LaPan said. “He’s a really consistent snapper and he’s been a staple for us on special teams. He’s kind of an unsung hero.”

In the 2023 season, Campos was perfect on snaps for extra points, field goals and punts. So far this season, it’s been the same. Campos said he holds himself to a high standard to make sure it stays that way.

“These guys are out here practicing all day, playing all day,” Campos said. “The couple of plays I’m in, I feel like I’m obligated to at least do my job.”

Campos is a communications major and earned Big Sky all academic honors in 2022, he said he’s on track to get his degree after his senior season with the Hornets. He said he’ll be training and taking all the right steps to try and get looked at by NFL teams and hopefully get picked up as an undrafted free agent.

“He’s a great guy, always has a smile on his face and he’s a joy to be around,” junior punter Cal McGough said. “Anytime he’s been under pressure, he performs. I think he’s a big game player and he’s a great guy.”