Beau Gardner announces his commitment to UCLA as a long snapper

UCLA added to its recruiting class Tuesday morning when Beau Gardner announced his commitment to the Bruins on social media.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Gardner plays offensive line for St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco, but is heading to Westwood as a long snapper. He is expected to begin his career as a walk-on and will try to earn a scholarship as his career progresses.

Gardner is a product of the Chris Rubio Long Snapping Program that develops a number of college specialist prospects every year. Rubio sees a lot of potential in Gardner.

“Strong and powerful long snapper that can rip the ball back to the punter,” Rubio wrote in a review of Gardner. “The smoother his snapping motion is, the better and more consistent Beau is with his snapping. Upside is off the charts and the smoothness of his snapping motion is the key to his greatness. Type of frame that can be snapping for a very long time.”

The Bruins have been set at the long snapper position over the last four years with senior Johnny Den Bleyker, who has played in 45 career games. UCLA also has a pair of walk-on long snappers on the roster in redshirt junior Koby Walsh and freshman Jack Landherr. Walsh has been a solid backup behind Den Bleyker while Landherr has already taken over field goal snapping duties this season.

Gardner is not rated in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings, but 247Sports lists him as a three-star offensive center prospect. Because he is a walk-on, Gardner does not count toward UCLA’s team recruiting ranking as he is not part of the Bruins’ allotment of 25 initial-counter scholarships that are allowed per year.

The Bruins are ranked No. 44 in the nation and No. 6 in the Pac-12 following Monday’s commitment from Bellflower St. John Bosco receiver Logan Loya.