For years, Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville has said special teams play a vital role in winning games. He proved his commitment to that philosophy last February by signing long snapper Dax Dellenbach.
“I was just relieved that my hard work had finally paid off,” Dellenbach said. “Just knowing, at that position, I was able to get a full ride, it was a great relief.”
For Dellenbach, it meant being able to play Division I college football like his father. Jeff Dellenbach, an offensive lineman, played at Wisconsin and played for 15 seasons in the NFL. In 1991, Auburn defensive ends coach Terry Price was one of his teammates with the Miami Dolphins.
Dax played tight end and defensive end and snapped for his father at North Broward Prep in Coconut Creek, Fla., last season. He has faced comparisons since he started playing, but Jeff Dellenbach says it has made his son stronger.
“It’s been good and bad,” Jeff Dellenbach said. “He’s been around football and the training part of it. I did play quite a while, and he was old enough to see what I went through. To Dax, it’s kind of a way of life. In a lot of ways it’s been a benefit. On the other hand, there were pressures. Everyone wanted him to play offensive line, and he just wasn’t big enough yet. He wanted to prove he could play football like his dad.”
Dax Dellenbach looks at his father as a great benefit, especially when it comes to work ethic. He says he also learned humility – a prerequisite for offensive linemen and long snappers.
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DAX
DELLENBACH
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Position: Deep snapper
High
school:
North Broward, Coconut Creek, Fla.
Height: 6-1 Weight: 210
Notes
of interest:
Had 18 catches for 176 yards at tight end and had
70 tackles, including 36 solo, eight tackles for loss and seven sacks as a
defensive end ... Named to the 3A-1A All-State second team as a tight end by
the South Florida Sun-Sentinel ...
Second-team All-Broward Country as a defensive lineman by the Miami Herald ... North Broward High School Special Teams Player of
the Year ... As a junior, was named North Broward High School Offensive
Lineman of the Year ... Father, Jeff, played 15 NFL seasons.
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“It’s one of those things where, if you’re good, you go unnoticed,” Dax Dellenbach said. “I’d rather go unnoticed, because if I go unnoticed, it means I’m doing my job.”
But Dax Dellenbach was noticed by Auburn coches. His father remembers watching Dax’s film with Auburn special teams coach Eddie Gran. Gran didn’t need to see much.
“Coach Gran came in the first time and saw some tape and said, ‘Coach, I’ve seen enough. As far as I’m concerned we’re ready to offer,’” Jeff Dellenbach said. Gran went back to Tuberville and got the green light. Dax quickly accepted.
“Auburn came in early after him,” his father said. “To Auburn’s credit, they put a lot of emphasis on special teams. A lot of Division I schools out there that don’t think the same way.”
