Savannah Native Snaps His Way to National Championship

Mark Langston wanted to play quarterback at Savannah Christian Preparatory School, but his coach had other plans. The compromise? He could keep jersey number four, but he was playing defensive end and handling snapping duties instead.

That unconventional start launched a journey that ended this week with Langston as a national champion. The long snapper helped Indiana complete a perfect season and defeat Miami for the college football playoff championship.

The path wasn't smooth. Langston initially focused on baseball before committing to football's special teams. "Football, I was terrible at it," he admits. "To be good at something, you have to be bad at something initially, and it just gave me that burning obsession."

During his sophomore year at Kennesaw State, Langston was cut from the team. Most players would have given up. Instead, he saw it as fuel. "That was the best thing for me really," Langston said. "Next thing you know, I just worked and kept my nose down and worked and worked and worked and got really good at it again."

He transferred to Georgia Southern, where another challenge struck. Langston tore his ACL toward the end of his second season with the Eagles. After recovering, he moved to Indiana for his final college chapter.

Why This Inspires

Langston's success hasn't made him forget where he came from. When his high school coach Baker Woodward called to congratulate him during championship week, he also asked for help. Savannah Christian had been struggling with bad snaps. "We've snapped three balls over the heads of our punters in the last five years, and it's really cost us," Woodward explained.

Langston immediately offered coaching tips. In the middle of celebrating the biggest win of his career, he took time to help the next generation of players from his hometown.

His former coach remembers his versatility and determination from those early days. "He was our starting defensive end and he also played some tight end for us, but he really went one way, did all the field goal snaps, did all the punt snaps that year," Woodward recalled.

Indiana will host a championship celebration at their stadium this Saturday. For Langston, the celebration is just a pause before the next challenge. He's setting his sights on the NFL Draft, ready to prove that the work ethic that carried him through setbacks can take him one level higher.

From a kid who couldn't play quarterback to a national champion eyeing the pros, Langston's story proves that obsession and persistence can turn early struggles into championship moments.