Oklahoma State Long Snapper Zeke Zaragoza Announces End of College Career
After a long road to playing college football, an Oklahoma State long snapper has called it a career.
Zeke Zaragoza played in all 14 games for the Cowboys in 2023, but his journey to being a constant on the field was not easy. The future long snapper faced adversity when he was only 3 years old, as he was diagnosed with opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome.
It is something that affects only one in 10 million people each year, affecting the nervous system. At his young age, Zaragoza was told by doctors he may never be able to walk or ride a bike while having to be in a wheelchair.
Rather than accept that fate, Zaragoza’s family opted to fight. With an aggressive treatment of steroid shots, chemotherapy and more, he was in remission by the time he was 7 years old and was playing football at 10.
Eventually, he would play his high school ball at Orlando Christian, starting as the varsity long snapper and center for three seasons. After that, he committed to Dordt College but would play at San Bernardino Valley College.
His success at the junior college level included first-team All-California honors in 2019. Before deciding to come to OSU as a walk-on, Zaragoza received offers from a number of lower-level schools.
At OSU, he saw his first game action at Kansas in 2020, when he snapped the ball for a made field goal. He was honored in the 2021 season as one of six FBS players on that year’s Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Team.
He made a couple of appearances in OSU’s 12-2 campaign. Then, in 2022, Zaragoza was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection.
Despite the struggles early in his life, Zaragoza overcame adversity and had a successful college football career.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.