Spencer Schnell Explained

Spencer Schnell
Number:83
Position:Wide receiver
Birth Date:7 December 1994
Birth Place:Elkhart, Indiana, U.S.
Height Ft:5
Height In:8
Weight Lbs:178
High School:Elkhart Central
(Elkhart, Indiana)
College:Illinois State
Undraftedyear:2019
Pastteams:
Highlights:
  • First-team All-MVFC (2018)
  • Second-team All-MVFC (2017)
Statlabel1:Return yards
Statvalue1:3

Spencer Schnell (born December 7, 1994) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Illinois State.

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] Schnell visited the Buccaneers on August 23, 2020,[12] and was re-signed by the team on August 25, 2020.[13] He was waived on September 5, 2020.[14]

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 quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. Dave Schnell passed away of leukemia at the age of 44 when Spencer was 16 years old.[15]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Schnell ready to take the next step in his NFL career. The Elkhart Truth. July 17, 2019. April 2, 2020.
  2. Web site: Bucs Score Another hit at Wide Receiver Position: Spencer Schnell. BucsLifeMedia.com. August 12, 2019. April 2, 2020.
  3. Web site: FCS: Illinois State's Spencer Schnell Inspired To Accomplish NFL Dream. Sam. Herder. HEROSports.com. April 15, 2019. December 21, 2019.
  4. Web site: Elkhart's Spencer Schnell named to Missouri Valley All-Newcomer team. The Elkhart Truth. December 9, 2016. December 21, 2019.
  5. Web site: Four Redbirds make All-MVC First-team, five others earn MVC accolades. Michael. Marra. The Vidette. November 27, 2017. December 21, 2019.
  6. Web site: ISU football names Schnell, Mathews as top players. The Pantagraph. November 29, 2018. December 21, 2019.
  7. Web site: Bucs sign three tryout players. Jason. Kanno. Bucs Wire. USA Today. May 11, 2019. December 21, 2019.
  8. Web site: Bucs sign receiver Spencer Schnell to the practice squad. Charean. Williams. Profootballtalk.com. December 16, 2019. December 21, 2019.
  9. Web site: Bucs Promote Spencer Schnell, Put Mike Evans and Jordan Whitehead on IR. Scott. Smith. Buccaneers.com. December 18, 2019. December 21, 2019.
  10. Web site: Early Mistakes Doom Resilient Bucs in Loss to Houston. Scott. Smith. Buccaneers.com. December 22, 2019. December 22, 2019.
  11. Web site: Bucs Waive Three from Camp Roster. Smith, Scott. Buccaneers.com. July 31, 2020.
  12. AlbertBreer . And here's today's tryout/visit list. Ex-Ohio State QB Cardale Jones and ex-Lions RB Theo Riddick worked out for Vegas. . 1297633729515524098 . August 23, 2020 . August 24, 2020.
  13. Web site: Bucs Bring WR Spencer Schnell Back. 2020-08-25. www.buccaneers.com. en-US.
  14. Web site: Matt Gay, A.Q. Shipley Among Cuts to Get to 53. Smith, Scott. Buccaneers.com. September 5, 2020.
  15. Web site: Schnell shock: ISU wideout Spencer Schnell talks invites from Bears, Buccaneers rookie mini-camps. Jonathan. Barlas. The Vidette. May 2, 2019. April 2, 2020.