After making his first few snaps, he was immediately approached by Parkview’s running backs coach Rod Twyman. Twyman clocked Ashby’s snapping accuracy and advised him to work on fine tuning his craft; he had potential to make it far. Turns out, Twyman is right.
Ashby went on to play 39 games and handled 276 snaps covering placements and punts for the varsity squad. In doing so he earned nearly a full ride to Furman University, but more importantly, left an impact on those he was leaving behind in Lilburn, Georgia.
The Young and the Selfless Teammate
The first thing former Parkview head coach Eric Godfree noticed about Ashby was his character. Coming from a family which, according to Godfree, strives to ‘lead by serving others,’ it wasn’t shocking to him that Ashby wanted to be there for his teammates in any capacity.
“He wanted to contribute for his team, he wanted to help out,” said Godfree. “Because of the person Julian is, and his work ethic, and his character, we all wanted him on the field too.”
Ashby’s desire to support his team turned into taking on two roles. He continued to take most reps as the second-string quarterback, which meant improving at long snapper bled into his free time before and after practice.
Ashby’s commitment to being the best where his team needed him outweighed the teenager within him that wanted to play video games or hangout with his friends. The work was his outlet, and it ended up paying off. He was the perfect guy for the job.
“He turned out to be better than we could have imagined because of how hard he works at things. It’s one of those spots that nobody recognizes until you mess up, or until you don’t have one,” said Godfree. “It really is a selfless job, and that really is him, he’s an others-first guy.”
As Ashby begins his campaign to take a spot on the Patriots 53-man roster, Godfree isn’t worried about his success. The numbers that made him the sixth-best long snapper in Georgia and later the best in the NCAA will speak for itself. It’s really Ashby that will blow New England away.
“The way that he works at it, cares for others and treats his teammates, he’s going to be respected in the locker room,” said Godfree. “As soon as you get to know him, you find out real quick that you’re pulling for him.”
After three seasons at long snapper and graduating with a degree in physics from Furman University, Ashby decided to take his final year of collegiate eligibility to Nashville to and play for the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Ashby made the most of his opportunity and dove headfirst into what Music City had to offer, both on and off the field.
His resume as a Commodore quickly stacked with accolades like being named to the CSC Academic All-American, CSC Academic All-District and SEC Football Community Service Teams, as well as being named a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award, which is reserved for the best long snapper in the country who exemplify “Excellence, Integrity, Effectiveness, Teamwork, and Balance” according to the award’s beneficiary website.