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Arkansas raised some eyebrows when it landed a commitment from Eli Stein last month.

Despite being one of the best players in the county at his position, the Wisconsin native didn’t generate the usual excitement that comes with landing a five-star recruit because of that position - long snapper.

However, Stein is considered elite in those circles. Rubio Long Snapping ranks him third nationally, while he checks in at No. 4 on the list by Kohl’s Kicking.

To get a better feel for what kind of player the Razorbacks are getting in Stein, HawgBeat reached out to an expert - Casey Casper. A former All-American long snapper at DIII powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater, he is now the director of long snapping at Kohl’s.

“One of the things that really separated out Eli is that he snaps one of the hardest footballs I’ve seen a high schooler snap,” Casper said. “With saying that, he also has total control of his body and his accuracy, his ball rotation is great. He truly is a special talent already at the high school level.”

Stein averages a 14-yard snap time of 0.65 seconds, which Casper described as “extremely” fast, and some of his snaps are even faster. For perspective, 0.7 seconds is generally considered the benchmark for those at the Division I level.

“With Eli, he’s consistently faster than other guys he’s competing with,” Casper said. “You can even see it ball-for-ball with other guys that are also very quality snappers.”

Still, the fact that Arkansas decided to use one of its scholarships - which are capped at 25 per year - on a long snapper was met with some criticism on social media and message boards.

Although it’s believed to be the first time the Razorbacks have done that during the modern recruiting era, it isn’t totally unique. Just two weeks before Stein’s announcement, Texas landed Lance St. Louis as a scholarship long snapper.

Earlier this year, Thomas Fletcher - a scholarship signee at Alabama in the 2017 class and winner of the Patrick Mannelly Award as college football’s top long snapper - was taken in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.

Rocco Underwood turned down a scholarship from Alabama to accept one at Florida in the 2021 class, which also saw Hank Pepper sign with Michigan State. In 2020, Alex Peitsch (Notre Dame), Koby Hathcock (Iowa State) and Jaden Green (Washington) each accepted scholarships at Power Five schools.

“I guess it is becoming more common because it’s never really happened before,” Casper said. “It’s hard to put an exact number on how long it’s been happening, but over the course of the last five or six years, it seems each year more and more guys (are getting offered).”

On top of the obvious fact that they’re involved in every field goal, extra point and punt, another reason that is becoming more and more of a trend is because of how long snappers are used.

They are essentially a third gunner on a punt unit. Instead of using a reserve lineman or someone like that, teams need a player capable of running down the field to make a tackle against a return man.

Coupled with his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame, Stein’s speed - 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash - makes him a perfect fit for what teams are looking for.

As with all sports, technology is also making evaluation and coaching better for long snappers. Casper utilizes things like slow motion cameras to break down all of the “intricate details” involved with the position.

“Snapping has really become this art form that guys practice, refine their mechanics and focus on it,” Casper said. “Now you see guys that don’t even play another position because they’re focused just on long snapping.”

Listed as a 5.2 two-star “center” on Rivals, Stein is a five-star long snapper worthy of a scholarship, according to Casper, who believes he could solidify the position at Arkansas for four years following the graduation of current starting long snapper Jordan Silver.