2019 Southwestern graduate Cole Snyder is pictured competing for NCAA Division I program Eastern Michigan University. Snyder launched Chalk Talk following the CFL season last year with the Edmonton Elks. AP file photo

Since the age of 7, Cole Snyder has played football.

Now nearly two decades into his career, the 2019 Southwestern graduate is looking to share the knowledge he’s learned along the way.

In late February, Snyder launched his Chalk Talk Training Program online from Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he spent the offseason.

“I’ve always had a passion for leading people, ever since my younger years, especially in high school,” Snyder said Wednesday afternoon after relocating to Edmonton for the upcoming Canadian Football League season. “This offseason was unique because I wasn’t just doing football. I got some good work experience. That taught me what was important to me and what gives me purpose and passion every day. Football, leading people and making people better are things I really enjoy doing.”

Chalk Talk is a live Zoom-based program that gives participants coaching in a small-group or one-on-one setting. Snyder has access to guest coaches from the NFL, CFL, AFL at NCAA levels.

While Snyder’s expertise is in the quarterback position, he says that his program builds football IQ — on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball as well as in situational football. Snyder is available to his “students” through text messages, phone calls or FaceTime.

“I felt like the biggest development in my career came when I was able to sit down with a coach and learn the Xs and Os side of the game and all the mental things that come with playing quarterback,” he said. “I feel like that’s where quarterbacks are lacking the most. A lot of people are talking about quarterbacks who are overdeveloped physically because of trainers and YouTube videos, but on the mental side quarterbacks go in all the time and don’t have success right away — not because they aren’t talented enough — but because they don’t have the mental capacity for the playbook.”

Additionally, Snyder provides another option, his CS Quarterback Training program where he works individually with quarterbacks through mentorship, leadership, field work, football IQ, strength and conditioning, mental training and recruiting advice while providing free evaluation of the athlete’s current skillset as well as giving them the outline of a training plan.

“Everything that doesn’t involve throwing a football is something I can coach remotely. I wanted it to be remote so it wasn’t just people physically around me who could experience it,” Snyder said. “Sometimes I’m in Lakewood, sometimes Michigan, sometimes Edmonton. I want to affect people and coach people wherever I’m at. I saw a huge need in the football world. I wanted to do my best to help those people who needed the help.”

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Snyder joined the Edmonton Elks of the CFL last summer after a rookie camp tryout with the Detroit Lions.

In his first season with the Elks, the 2024 graduate of Eastern Michigan University, did not throw a pass, but carried 15 times for 16 yards and three touchdowns.

“I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t have too much knowledge other than knowing there are 12 guys on the field and everybody can be in motion. That was a real learning experience for me,” he said. “Going to live in a foreign country was another experience in itself. It was a lot in the first year. After I got settled in, I really started to love the CFL game, what it has to offer. I’m just thankful to be playing the game of football professionally.”

Following the CFL season, Snyder decided to branch out and expand his business opportunities, launching Chalk Talk.

Snyder certainly isn’t lacking knowledge from a multitude of stops during his career.

At Southwestern, while playing for head coach Jehuu Caulcrick, Snyder was also coached by Jon Kinder, a former collegiate quarterback at Syracuse and Stony Brook.

“Any young player participating in Cole’s Chalk Talk program will gain invaluable insights from someone who truly knows football inside and out,” Caulcrick says in a testimonial on Snyder’s website. “I highly recommend Cole Snyder — he’s not just a talented quarterback, but an exceptional teacher of the game.”

Snyder’s first collegiate stop took him to Rutgers in the Big Ten Conference. There, the 6-foot-2 right-hander played for head coaches Chris Ash and Greg Schiano as well as offensive coordinators John McNulty, Nunzio Campanile and Sean Gleeson.

“Knowing his deep hunger to learn, it’s clear he’s only gotten more proficient since our time together, especially with the experiences he’s had playing the QB position at top-tier programs,” said Gleeson, currently the offensive coordinator at Kansas State University. “It’s a no-brainer to entrust (him) with the development of a young player.”

“Cole Snyder is an excellent young coach. He’s smart, talented and has always possessed an eye for the game,” Campanile added. “He’s a great technician and has played the game at a high level, so he can translate his experience to help the next generation thrive. Most importantly he’s a high-character person that will look for the best interests of his players.”

After three years, Snyder transferred back closer to his Lakewood roots and played for the University at Buffalo. As the full-time starter for two years with head coach Maurice Linguist and offensive coordinators Shane Montgomery and DJ Mangas, Snyder threw for 5,139 yards and 31 touchdowns.

“I’m coaching high schoolers right now at a camp. I’m learning stuff from them every day. Every day there is a chance to learn something. A long time ago somebody said ‘the only thing I can promise you in your career is failure,'” Snyder said. “You aren’t promised success, you aren’t promised to throw for 5,000 yards, but one thing is certain, you are going to fail every day. …

People who can grow from that are the ones who make it in the long run.”

His final stop took him to Ypsilanti, Michigan where he quarterbacked the Eagles to a 5-7 record with head coach Chris Creighton and offensive coordinator Mike Piatkowski, throwing for 2,684 yards and 15 touchdowns.

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Snyder still hopes to advance in the professional game with the Elks, but also knows there is life to come after football.

In addition to a Camellia Bowl victory at UB and an 18-point comeback win against Central Michigan at EMU, Snyder considers climbing Pikes Peak and interning with McLaren Health as off-the-field milestones in his journey.

Armed with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s certificate in finance, Snyder is ready for the “real world,” but also would like to stay in the game of football for as long as possible.

Chalk Talk could be the next step toward a future in coaching.

“I do love the game of football and I love being around it; I can’t imagine my life without it, but the workload that comes with being a college football coach is so demanding,” Snyder said. “I have my sights set on being in the financial world or the business management side of things. I’ll probably always be involved with football in some capacity, one-on-one with quarterbacks or as a high school coach. I will never rule out being a football coach because I love the game.”

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A three-session group Chalk Talk is starting Sunday. Snyder intends for the class to gather once a month over the next three months to get student-athletes ready for their upcoming seasons. For more information on Snyder’s Chalk Talk programs and for contact information, visit IAmColeSnyder.com.