NC State long snapper Joe Shimko wins Mannelly Award
For NC State long snapper Joe Shimko, flying under the radar is the goal. And in his five seasons as the Pack’s go-to player on special teams he has done just that.
Now, Shimko is the center of attention. The Belmar, N.J., native won the Patrick Mannelly Award, which honors the best long snapper in college football, on Saturday night in Chicago.
Shimko is the first NC State player to win the award in its five-year history, and is the second Wolfpacker to receive a national trophy this season. NC State graduate linebacker Payton Wilson won the Bednarik (best defensive player) and Butkus Awards (best linebacker) this week.
Shimko joins John Shannon (Notre Dame, 2019), Thomas Fletcher (Alabama, 2020), Cal Adomitis (Pittsburgh, 2021) and Chris Stoll (Penn State, 2022) as winners of the prestigious long snapping award.
The 6-foot, 230-pound specialist has never recorded a “bad” snap with the Wolfpack, which spans more than 500 opportunities in his time at NC State. He has been the Pack’s No. 1 long snapper since he arrived in Raleigh, and his consistency paid off.
Shimko did not have to return to the Wolfpack this season, but he took advantage of his extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 pandemic, and it proved to be worth it.
“I’m very happy I got to come back,” Shimko said earlier this season. “I got to learn more. I got to work on the field and off the field. So just taking another year to learn and correct, tweak, and just take out the little things I’ve got to get better at to get to the next level has been very helpful.”
Shimko was a second team AFCA All-American last season, and was a semifinalist for the Mannelly Award a year ago. He was also pivotal in NC State kicker Christopher Dunn’s Lou Groza Award-winning season last fall without a bad snap to help the unit deliver.
Shimko was a fourth-team All-American during the 2021 season, according to Phil Steele, in addition to his Academic All-ACC nod.
But while Shimko has excelled on the gridiron, he has also been a standout off of it in terms of community service.
The long snapper has raised more than $160,000 in fundraising, which he has divided between an organization for those with special needs in New Jersey and GiGi’s Playhouse in Raleigh.
Shimko graduated from NC State in December 2022 with a degree in sport management. He is currently committed to play in the East West Shrine Bowl in February during the NFL Draft process.
