Zach Wood facts for kids
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Wood with SMU in 2015
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| No. 49 – New Orleans Saints | |||
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| Position: | Long snapper | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Born: | January 10, 1993 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Rowlett (Rowlett, Texas) | ||
| College: | SMU (2011–2015) | ||
| Undrafted: | 2016 | ||
| Career history | |||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||
| Career NFL statistics | |||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||
Zach Wood is a professional American football player. He plays as a long snapper for the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL). He was born on January 10, 1993. Before joining the Saints, he played college football at SMU. He was also briefly with the Dallas Cowboys.
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Early Life and High School Football
Zach Wood grew up in Rowlett, Texas. He went to Rowlett High School. There, he played defensive tackle for the football team.
As a junior, he was very good at stopping players. He made 99 tackles, which means he brought down the player with the ball. He also had 32 tackles for loss, stopping players behind their starting line. He got 8 sacks, tackling the opposing quarterback.
In his senior year, he continued to play well. He had 115 tackles and 10 sacks. Because of his strong performance, he was recognized as an honorable-mention Class 4A All-State defensive lineman.
College Football Career
Wood received a football scholarship to Southern Methodist University (SMU). He spent his first year, 2011, as a redshirt. This means he practiced with the team but did not play in games.
In 2012, he played in nine games. He made nine tackles in total. The next year, 2013, he started all 12 games as a 3–4 defensive end. He made 49 tackles, one sack, and caused two fumbles. He also blocked one kick.
Wood continued to start as a defensive end in 2014, playing in all 12 games. He recorded 40 tackles and 4 sacks. In 2015, he played in 10 games and started 9 of them. He was also chosen as a team captain. He made 39 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and blocked 3 kicks. During his time in college, Wood also spent some time practicing as a long snapper.
He finished his college career having started 33 out of 43 games. He had a total of 137 tackles, 9 sacks, and 3 blocked kicks.
Professional Football Journey
Joining the Dallas Cowboys
After the 2016 NFL draft, Zach Wood was not chosen by any team. However, the Dallas Cowboys signed him as an undrafted free agent on May 24, 2016. He got this chance after a tryout at a rookie training camp.
During his first training camp with the Cowboys, he played on the defensive line. He even practiced with the team's main defense. But he was released by the team on September 1, 2016.
He signed a new contract with the Cowboys on January 16, 2017. In his second training camp, he focused more on being a long snapper. He helped take some of the practice work from the team's main long snapper, L. P. Ladouceur. However, he was released again on September 2, 2017.
Playing for the New Orleans Saints
In 2017, the New Orleans Saints were looking for a long snapper. They traded for Jon Dorenbos from the Philadelphia Eagles. But on September 7, it was discovered that Dorenbos had a serious heart condition. He had to have surgery and later retired from football.
Because of this, the Saints needed a new long snapper quickly. On September 9, Zach Wood was signed by the Saints after a tryout. He successfully became the team's long snapper for all punts and placekicks that season.
Wood continued to play for the Saints. He signed a one-year contract on February 20, 2018, and another one-year contract on February 11, 2019. On March 23, 2020, he signed a four-year contract with the team. He was briefly placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list in August 2020 but was back with the team a few days later.
On July 28, 2023, Wood signed another four-year contract extension with the Saints. In the 2023 season, he played in all 17 games for the team.
