This Wildcat is a model and an actor. He might solve one of UK football’s biggest problems.

AUGUST 08, 2023 7:00 AM
Very little about being a long snapper can be described as glamorous.
You are on the field for only a handful of plays per game. During those plays you have to snap, block and sometimes tackle. Only the most diehard of fans know your name until you sail a snap over the punter’s head.
No one is handing out massive name, image and likeness endorsements for long snappers. The vast majority of snappers are not even on scholarship.
But new Kentucky football long snapper Ron Gaines knows something about glamour.
The son of two Chicago police officers, Gaines has long known he needs to prepare for life after football. He already holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in innovation management and entrepreneurship from Temple.
Gaines was recruited as the solution to Kentucky’s 2022 snapping woes as a transfer from Temple. Gaines hopes a year in the Southeastern Conference can position him for a possible NFL career, but he already has an eye on a possible second career:
Model and actor.
“I feel like it’s possible to pursue both at the same time,” Gaines told the Herald-Leader at UK’s preseason media day. “Obviously for right now the football aspect comes first and is most important, but I do think it’s possible to pursue both while making time for the things you not only need to do but want to do also.”
Gaines started his career at Illinois but transferred to Temple as a walk-on after a redshirt season. He took over long-snapping duties on the punt team three games into his redshirt freshman season. Despite holding that job for the rest of the season, Gaines knew a major change was needed.
Weighing around 310 pounds during the 2019 season, Gaines shocked teammates and coaches by showing up to preseason camp in 2020 almost 50 pounds lighter.
“Sort of a flip switched,” Gaines said. “I told myself I had to do this for me not only to be effective at the position, but for me to be able to perform healthily. So, during that offseason, I just worked, had to eat right and everything. Was able to get the weight off and kind of put myself in a better position to play.”
His new svelte frame helped Gaines accomplish the three responsibilities of a long snapper. It couldn’t hurt his pursuit of his second passion either.
Gaines comes from an artistic family.
His mother, Kenyatta Gaines, is known as the voice of the Chicago Police Department. She has sung the national anthem and “God Bless America” at Chicago sporting events and sings at other police department events. Her band, NuBlu, has been inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame.
“My parents always wanted a plan B for us regardless of sports or anything, for me and my siblings,” Gaines said. “That was something I still value.”
While Gaines did not start for Temple last season — he was the backup to an incoming transfer from TCU — the fact Kentucky coaches were willing to offer him a scholarship as part of the special teams makeover sent a clear message he should be viewed as a snapping upgrade for the Wildcats.
Among the biggest issues for a much-maligned special teams unit last season were snapping problems that showed up on both field goals and punts. Kentucky tried multiple players at the position.
Senior Clay Perry, the primary snapper for the punt team last season, is back. UK also added freshman walk-on Walker Himebauch, the No. 12-ranked long snapper in the high school class of 2023 according to the Kohl’s Kicking Camp.
“I’m just playing the best football player,” special teams coordinator Jay Boulware said on media day when asked about the snapping competition.
Now listed at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, Gaines feels confident he can block and sprint downfield in coverage when needed after delivering an accurate and well-timed snap.
“Good rotation on the ball,” Boulware said of Gaines. “Really accurate. Not much movement in the pocket for the punter when he snaps it back to him. It’s really fast. … That’s what we’re looking for.”
Consistency and repeatability are among the most important traits for all specialists. The nature of the position means 100 good snaps might go unnoticed by fans, but one bad one will lead to universal criticism.
For that reason, Gaines knows succeeding at his position is about more than just physical traits. It might be a stretch to try to extrapolate his modeling work as a help on the field, but embracing interests away from football could help provide the needed perspective for Kentucky’s renaissance man.
“To me, the most important aspect of it is the mentality,” Gaines said. “Are you able to block everything else out and get your one job done your team needs you to do?”
Answer that question in the affirmative, and Gaines might be able to turn long snapper into a glamorous position after all.