Drew Scott has an unusual ability.

He can bend his knees, squat down, grab a football, look between his legs and snap the ball to a teammate who's stationed behind him, knowing a defensive lineman is getting ready to bowl him over the instant he lets go.

Scott did it time after time after time for the Xavier Saints this past season on their path to the championship game of the Class 4A playoffs.

He did it on PATs, he did it on field goals, he did it on punts.

Scott did it so well that the fifth-ranked Kansas State Wildcats have invited him to join their football team next season as a snapper for their special teams as well.

He's gladly accepted the offer to join the Wildcats as a walk-on, with a chance to earn a scholarship at some point.

Scott visited Kansas State this fall and watched the Wildcats play Oklahoma State in a Big 12 Conference game.

"It was really cool," he said Thursday. "Talk about an experience, going down there for a game."

Scott began snapping footballs through his legs when he was in the eighth grade, so he's been doing this for awhile now.

"It's something to do. It's fun," he said. "I like it. It turned into something more."

By "something more," he meant it turned into a chance to play an important role for the Saints and now it's turned into a chance to play for one of the top college football programs in the country, all because he can throw a ball accurately between his legs.

His father, Andy, threw forward passes when he was a quarterback at Regis High School, and he's worked with Drew on throwing the ball forward and backward.

Scott is a pitcher for the Xavier baseball team, so he'll be throwing a ball the other way this spring and summer. "Right now I'm working on baseball down at Perfect Game," he said.

Scott made the rounds of football camps last summer, working on his unusual skill as a snapper. He attended a special teams camp at Iowa State, attended a national scholarship camp in Whitewater, Wis., and also went to
a camp in Chicago.

"It was really cool. It was different," he said. "It seemed like all the kids had been doing it awhile.

"This summer was real busy."

Scott said Luke Miller, who played football at Xavier and Coe College, also has helped with his snapping. "A huge help," he said.

Jamie Kohl, a former placekicker at Iowa State, has a company called Kohl's Professional Camps, and he's ranked Scott as the 18th best long snapper in the country. Scott said Kohl helped run the special teams camp at ISU last summer.

Xavier excelled on special teams this season, and Scott played a prominent (although mostly anonymous) role. The Saints converted on 68 of 70 PATs and 10 of 13 field goals, with Scott snapping to Corbin Woods and Woods holding for Ryan Persick.

Scott also snapped the ball to Nick Hazelton for punts.

Scott, 6-1, 200, was also a reserve offensive lineman for the Saints, but his main duty was throwing the ball behind him.

"Everything about our team was awesome," he said. "The chemistry of our team was really, really cool. I was just glad to be a part of it."

Sean Snyder, the special teams coordinator at Kansas State, was one of the people who appreciates Scott's unsual skills. Snyder, the son of Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder, was an All-American punter for the Wildcats
and appreciates a good snapper when he sees one.

Snyder recruited Scott for Kansas State and offered him a spot on the team. "Kansas State kind of came through last week," he said. "That just seems like the best fit."

Scott will be joining one of the elite programs in the country. The Wildcats (11-1) won the Big 12 title this year and will face No. 4 Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3 in one of the top bowl games of the season.

Scott plans to watch that game on television. When he does, he'll keep a special eye on the K-State snapper, because that could be him some day.