Spencer Schnell
Spencer Schnell (born December 7, 1994) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Illinois State.
Free agent | |||||||||||
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Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Elkhart, Indiana | December 7, 1994||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 178 lb (81 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Elkhart Central (Elkhart, Indiana) | ||||||||||
College: | Illinois State | ||||||||||
Undrafted: | 2019 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2019 | |||||||||||
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Early life and high school
Schnell was born and grew up in Elkhart, Indiana and attended Elkhart Central High School.[1] He was named second team All-Northern Indiana Athletic Conference (NIAC) after catching 58 passes for 984 yards and eight touchdowns in his junior season. As a senior, Schnell caught 101 passes for 1,458-yards and 11 touchdowns with two punts returned for touchdowns and was named first team All-NIAC and first team All-Region.[2]
College career
Schnell began his collegiate career at Ohio, joining the team as a walk-on and redshirting his true freshman season with the expectation that he would receive a scholarship the following year. He left the school after the scholarship was instead given to a fifth year player and transferred to Illinois State University. He spent a year away from football as he established residency in Illinois to pay in-state tuition before joining the Illinois State football team as a walk-on.[3] In his first season playing, Schnell caught 59 passes for 479 yards and a touchdown and returned 22 punts for 228 yards and was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) All-Newcomer team.[4] The following season, he was named second team All-MVFC after leading the team with 51 receptions for 679 yards and four touchdowns.[5] As a redshirt senior, Schnell led the MVC with 65 receptions and was second in the conference with 872 receiving yards and nine touchdowns and was named first team All-MVFC.[6]
Professional career
Schnell signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent on May 11, 2019.[7] Schnell was waived at the end of training camp during final roster cuts. He was re-signed by the Buccaneers to their practice squad on December 16, 2019 and was promoted to the Buccaneers active roster two days later on December 18.[8][9] Schnell made his NFL debut on December 21, 2019 against the Houston Texans, returning two punts for three yards.[10]
On July 31, 2020, Schnell was waived by the Buccaneers.[11]
Personal
Schnell's father, Dave Schnell, was the starting quarterback at Indiana, was an All-Big Ten selection and inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame, and later played wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills. Dave Schnell passed away of a heart attack at the age of 44 when Spencer was 16 years old.[12]
References
- "Schnell ready to take the next step in his NFL career". The Elkhart Truth. July 17, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- "Bucs Score Another hit at Wide Receiver Position: Spencer Schnell". BucsLifeMedia.com. August 12, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- Herder, Sam (April 15, 2019). "FCS: Illinois State's Spencer Schnell Inspired To Accomplish NFL Dream". HEROSports.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- "Elkhart's Spencer Schnell named to Missouri Valley All-Newcomer team". The Elkhart Truth. December 9, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- Marra, Michael (November 27, 2017). "Four Redbirds make All-MVC First team, five others earn MVC accolades". The Vidette. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- "ISU football names Schnell, Mathews as top players". The Pantagraph. November 29, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- Kanno, Jason (May 11, 2019). "Bucs sign three tryout players". Bucs Wire. USA Today. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- Williams, Charean (December 16, 2019). "Bucs sign receiver Spencer Schnell to the practice squad". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- Smith, Scott (December 18, 2019). "Bucs Promote Spencer Schnell, Put Mike Evans and Jordan Whitehead on IR". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- Smith, Scott (December 22, 2019). "Early Mistakes Doom Resilient Bucs in Loss to Houston". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
- Smith, Scott (July 31, 2020). "Bucs Waive Three from Camp Roster". Buccaneers.com.
- Barlas, Jonathan (May 2, 2019). "Schnell shock: ISU wideout Spencer Schnell talks invites from Bears, Buccaneers rookie mini-camps". The Vidette. Retrieved April 2, 2020.