Zach Wood (born January 10, 1993) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

long snapper for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at SMU. He has also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

Early years

Wood attended Rowlett High School in Rowlett, Texas, where he played

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. As a junior, he recorded 99 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and 8 sacks. He posted 115 tackles and 10 sacks his senior season, earning honorable-mention Class 4A All-State as a

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

College career

Wood accepted a football scholarship from Southern Methodist University. He was redshirted in 2011. He played in nine games in 2012, tallying five solo tackles, four tackle assists and half a sack. He played in 12 games, all starts as a 3–4 defensive end, in 2013, making 25 solo tackles, 24 tackle assists, one sack, one

pass breakup In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick. Wood appeared in 12 games, all starts as a 3–4 defensive end, in 2014, registering 18 solo tackles, 22 tackle assists, 4 sacks and 1 fumble recovery. He played in 10 games with 9 starts in 2015 and was a team captain. He recorded 29 solo tackles, 10 tackle assists, 3.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups and 3 blocked kicks. Wood also spent time at long snapper in college. He finished his college career with 33-of-43 starts, 137 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 3 blocked kicks.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Wood was rated the 85th best defensive end in the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

by NFLDraftScout.com.

Dallas Cowboys

Wood was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the

, following a rookie minicamp tryout on May 24. During his first training camp with the team, he also played on the defensive line, even taking the snaps with the first defense in practices. He was waived on September 1, 2016. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 16, 2017. In his second training camp with the Cowboys, he concentrated on being a long snapper and taking some of the practice load from stalwart

L. P. Ladouceur Louis-Philippe Ladouceur (born March 13, 1981) is a Canadian former professional football player who spent his entire 16-year career as a long snapper with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Born and raised in Montreal, ...

. He was released on September 2, 2017.

New Orleans Saints

In 2017, the New Orleans Saints couldn't find a potential candidate for the long snapper job during training camp. On August 28, the Saints obtained

Jon Dorenbos Jonathan Paul Dorenbos (; born July 21, 1980) is a former American football long snapper and magician (illusionist), magician. He played college football at the UTEP Miners football, University of Texas at El Paso and was signed by the Buffalo Bi ...

from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick (not exercised). On September 7, it was revealed that Dorenbos was diagnosed with an

aortic aneurysm An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. They usually cause no symptoms except when ruptured. Occasionally, there may be abdominal, back, or leg pain. The prevalence of abdominal aortic ...

, which required immediate heart surgery. He was placed on the non-football illness list the same day, and released with an injury settlement on September 9, before announcing his retirement. On September 9, Wood was signed by the Saints, after a last minute tryout that included four other players. He successfully became the team's long snapper for all punts and placekicks during the season. On February 20, 2018, he was re-signed to a one-year contract. On February 11, 2019, he was re-signed to a one-year contract. On March 23, 2020, Wood signed a four-year contract with the Saints. He was placed on the reserve/ COVID-19 list by the team on August 6, 2020, and activated from the list three days later. On July 28, 2023, Wood signed a four-year contract extension with the Saints.

References

External links

New Orleans Saints bioSMU Mustangs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Zach 1993 births Living people American football defensive ends American football long snappers Dallas Cowboys players New Orleans Saints players People from Rowlett, Texas SMU Mustangs football players Players of American football from Dallas County, Texas Rowlett High School alumni