The Family Business: Teddy Tholen is carrying the legacy forward.
The Long Snapper You Can’t Afford to Miss
Saint Thomas Aquinas • Overland Park, KS • 6’2, 185 • 4.5⭐ Kohl’s
In special teams, the difference between winning and watching often comes down to one quiet moment: a single, perfect motion under pressure. That’s where Teddy Tholen lives.
Most programs won’t know his name yet. That’s the mistake.
Teddy Tholen isn’t just another long snapper in the 2028 class. He’s already one of the most complete specialist prospects in the country and the type of athlete coaches wish they had identified early, before everyone else caught on.
A Standard, Not a Shortcut
Teddy didn’t inherit an easy path. He inherited a standard.
His older brother, Tommy Tholen, showed him what the long road looks like, self‑taught snapping, junior college, earning a PWO at Rice, and carving out a collegiate career the hard way. Football wasn’t handed down as a privilege in the Tholen house. It was passed down as a responsibility.
From the first snap his dad caught in the backyard to late‑night film sessions and pregame locker‑room calls for technique fixes, Teddy learned that specialists aren’t built by convenience. They’re built by commitment.
That standard became his north star.
From Second String to National Top‑3
Freshman year, Teddy was 150 pounds and second string.
Instead of accepting a role, he chose a process.
6:00 A.M. lifts.
Squat Monday. Bench Wednesday. Hang Clean Thursday.
Top Speed training three days a week for agility, mass, and vertical.
Snapping after school. Yoga on Sundays. Film every chance he could get.
By his sophomore season, the work showed.
Starter at Saint Thomas Aquinas
First Long Snapper in EKL history to make an EKL Team
All‑State Honorable Mention (only LS to earn the nod)
4.5⭐ Kohl’s Long Snapper
#3 Long Snapper in the Nation, #1 in Kansas (all classes)
.66 official snap time — hits repeatedly
That jump didn’t happen by accident.
It happened because Teddy decided early that the grind would be non‑negotiable.
The Specialist Coaches Trust
Teddy’s game is built for the moments that decide seasons.
He is big enough to stay and block, fast enough to snap and release, and composed enough to own pressure.
“Thinking is when mistakes happen. I don’t think — I just do.”
That mentality shows up on Friday nights and at camps.
Accuracy. Speed. Repeatability.
He doesn’t chase one perfect rep. He chases trust. The kind that allows a staff to sleep at night knowing the operation will be clean when the game is on the line.
Behind that reliability is a relentless weekly routine:
3 strength sessions before school
3 speed & agility sessions at Top Speed LLC
2 focused snapping sessions after school
Yoga for durability and flexibility
And then he does it again the next week.
Built for the Long Game
Football, for Teddy, is not just competition. It’s formation.
“Football means being challenged and still persevering. Early sore mornings and sweaty late nights.”
That perspective shows up in everything he does from the weight room to the classroom.
3.9 GPA.
Math, chemistry, and the discipline to pursue excellence in both academics and athletics.
Long‑term goal, he wants to play professional football. If the game ends, he wants to become a pediatrician. A reflection of the same servant leadership that defines his approach on the field.
And when recruiting pressure builds, he doesn’t panic.
“I’ll run my own race and focus on the process.”
That’s not a slogan. That’s how he became who he is.
The Locker Room Multiplier
Ask his teammates and coaches and you’ll hear the same words:
Leader. Poised. Reliable. Hungry. Calm under pressure.
Teddy isn’t loud for attention. He’s loud with his work ethic.
He shows up early. He stays late. He raises the standard without demanding credit.
That’s why he earns trust.
And that’s why his presence multiplies the culture of any program he walks into.
What Coaches Need to Know
This is a recruiting alert not a prediction.
Teddy Tholen is already performing at a level most long snappers don’t reach until their junior or senior year.
4.5⭐ Kohl’s
#3 LS in the Nation, #1 in Kansas (all classes)
.66 official snap time, hit consistently
Big enough to block. Fast enough to release. Mentally built for pressure.
And he is only getting started.
If you’re building a special team unit that values precision, discipline, and trust under pressure, Teddy is the type of specialist you recruit early because programs that wait usually end up chasing.
The Handshake
“I learn fast, I’m coachable, and I will work day in and day out to benefit the program. On the field you’ll never doubt if the snapper will do his job. Off the field I’ll be a teammate others can rely on.”
That’s not a pitch.
That’s a promise built by the work and defined by consistency.
And it’s why Teddy Tholen isn’t just a name to know. He’s an opportunity programs can’t afford to miss.
Final Word
Teddy Tholen is easy to believe in.
Not because the road is easy — but because he embraces the grind. Not because success is guaranteed — but because he prepares like it matters.
📍 Overland Park, KS
🎓 Class of 2028
🎯 Position: LS 4.5⭐ Kohl’s
📲 X: @tedtholen10 | IG: @tedthol10
