The UB Bulls have not had an ideal start to their season. The Bulls had high expectations preseason after winning the Camelia Bowl last December but certainly have had trouble reaching that bar again. They were 0-4 at one point with one of those losses coming after a blown lead versus Fordham, an FCS school. Recently, the schedule has been more favorable, and the Bulls have taken full advantage, winning three of their last four and are 3-1 in MAC play. Many questions have been raised on social media and local sports radio about the future of the coaching staff, along with some of the players. I recently sat down with Bulls captain and quarterback Cole Snyder to discuss the start of the Bulls season and his possible future.
Hayek: Cole, you’re a hometown kid. What did it take for you to become a Division 1 quarterback?
Snyder: The number one thing it took for me was hard work. It is obviously tough to get highly recruited from this spot [WNY], but you know you have to work harder than everyone else getting the opportunities to get noticed. When I was in high school, I made a decision to play football, but I knew I had to outwork everyone, and not only in the WNY area, but everyone else competing to get the scholarships. Whether it was Florida, Texas, you name it, I was focused on competing with everyone in the country.
Hayek: When you were choosing colleges, you had some big-time schools looking at you. Why did you originally choose Rutgers?
Snyder: I chose Rutgers because they were the first ones to really show that they believed in me. They were my first official offer at anywhere, and my first college offer that I could go to school for free. That really showed me that they trusted me, and they weren’t waiting for someone else to take a shot on me, and then say “Oh, he’s good enough now.” It really showed they trusted me, and that they wanted me there, and that was important for me. For them to show me they really believed in me, that was big for me.
Hayek: When you were at Rutgers, what was your first “welcome to Division 1 Football” moment, and what was your proudest moment there?
Snyder: So my welcome to Division 1 football moment would be when I was visiting the school, and they are feeding you, like these crazy steak dinners. They would end up putting you in a hotel and everything, and all of that was paid for. Then when I got there for our workouts, we had trainers giving us water and stuff, and I’m like “You can just ask for a water?” You don’t have to fill up your own water bottle, or carry the gatorade bottles to practice, like there are people their that do it for you. We then head to Spring Practice, and I’ll never forget it… There was a kid named Malik Dixon from Florida… He had been there for a while, and I threw him a pick in practice, and he picked it off, took it to the house, and then he punted the ball into the stands and started trash-talking me. That was definitely one of my first welcome-to-college-football moments. The second part of that question, my proudest moment at Rutgers would be during the spring game (2021). I felt I played one of the most complete games of my career. I feel I made a ton of correct decisions and also at Penn State when I played a bit in front of my family and friends; that was really cool, as well.
Hayek: That Spring Game, was that the game you made it onto Sportscenter Top 10?
Snyder: Yes, and that was also a really cool experience. That is definitely up there.
Hayek: You decided to leave Rutgers. Why did you decide to enter the Transfer Portal, and what were you looking for in your new school?
Snyder: I just felt like I wasn’t getting the opportunity that I wanted. After being there for three years, and getting better every year, I didn’t think that Rutgers had me in their plan for the future. I saw the writing on the wall. I wanted to go somewhere where I’d have a better chance of playing. Buffalo obviously ended up being that spot, and so far it’s worked out really well, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.
Hayek: After turning offers down from Bowling Green and Wagner, why did you feel UB was the right school for you?
Snyder: When I look for a place to go play football, it isn’t just football. It really comes down to three things. Football, culture fit, and school fit. I really liked the guys I was with on my visit, and they just felt like good people. The location also had something to do with it, as UB was the closest Division 1 school from my house. Growing up, I spent a lot of time up in Buffalo, playing a lot of travel sports, and was familiar with the city. They also had the major I wanted and grad school, and now I’m pursuing a Masters in Finance, and will hopefully open up some opportunities when I’m done playing football. It was really a combination of all those things.
Hayek: First year at UB, there was a bit of a quarterback competition. What is your advice for aspiring quarterbacks if they find themselves having to compete with a member of their team for a spot?
Snyder: I would say at the end of the day, the cream always rises to the top, and my mom always told me that since I was little. If you really believe that the school is right for you, or even at high school, I wouldn’t run from the competition, but use it to make you the best quarterback you could be. I remember being at Rutgers and there was a ton of quarterback competition every year. That really just made me a better player. I look back at my time there and competing against all the good quarterbacks, and I think it brought my game to a another level, and I think it brought theirs to another level as well. Competition always breeds excellence, and at the end of the day, you just have to fight for that spot.
Hayek: Staying in your first year at UB, you guys got off to a slower start, but finished the year strong and even won a Bowl Game. What was the key turnaround for you guys?
Snyder: I would say it was not really giving up. Unfortunately we got off to a rough start, like you said, and never once did the locker room shift. We kept battling and kept playing, and we knew we had a good team, and it showed. I would just say not giving up and knowing that we had a good team.
Hayek: Flash forward to the present, you guys have had another slower start to the season? What has to change or continue for this team to reach its true potential?
Snyder: I would say the same thing about last season as this year. The team never once flinched when we faced adversity, obviously starting 0-4, and at times the offense played well along with the defense. We never really played a complete game, but we never pointed fingers and blame; we took full ownership, and wanted to steer the ship in the right direction. We are now in the thick of conference games and have some MACtion games coming up. Four to finish the season, and every chance we can ask for. We control our own destiny, and if we win the games we are supposed to win, we can accomplish going to Detroit and winning a championship. All of our goals are still in front of us. Can’t ask for anything more than that.
Hayek: This is your senior season. Personally, how would you like to finish this season for yourself, and what is your thought process going into these last few games?
Snyder: I still have one year left of eligibility, [so] the pressure of not having eligibility left is not there; but when I look around the locker room and there are guys with four, five or six games left in their college career, that really brings everything to life and shows that these guys are playing their last college games soon. It really brings awareness to it, and I just want to send these guys out MAC Champions. Buffalo hasn’t won a MAC Championship since 2008, and it would be incredible to win a MAC Championship with these guys.
Hayek: Cole, you have plenty of accolades at UB. Do you look to continue playing possibly in the NFL, and if not the NFL, another pro league?
Snyder: Yeah, definitely. Obviously playing in the NFL would be a tremendous honor and something I’d love to do if it presents itself, but I’ll leave those things until I’m done playing college football. Right now I’m focused on being the best teammate I can be, the best player I can be, and just being where my feet are at. I don’t want to get too tangled up with things that don’t necessarily matter at this point in time. The NFL would be a great opportunity, but until then, I’m just focused on UB.
Hayek: And lastly, what’s your advice to upcoming young quarterbacks who look up to you?
Snyder: I would just say that don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. If someone tells you that you can’t fail, how big would you dream. I feel like a lot of people let other people control their dreams. I love the quote that if your dreams don’t make you seem crazy to other people, your dreams aren’t big enough. I would just say set goals that you want to achieve and work as hard as possible to achieve those goals, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.
Snyder and company look to continue their turnaround as they play Ohio on Tuesday, November 7th. After Ohio, they finish with Miami of Ohio and Eastern Michigan. Keep an eye out for the Bulls during these MACtion games, as they look to pursue a MAC Championship.
