Spencer Schnell

Spencer Schnell (born December 7, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Illinois State.

Spencer Schnell
No. 83 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1994-12-07) December 7, 1994
Elkhart, Indiana
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
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • First team All-MVFC (2018)
  • Second team All-MVFC (2017)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2019
Receptions:0
Receiving yards:0
Receiving touchdowns:0
Return yards:3
Player stats at NFL.com

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]

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.[11]

References
  1. "Schnell ready to take the next step in his NFL career". The Elkhart Truth. July 17, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  2. "Bucs Score Another hit at Wide Receiver Position: Spencer Schnell". BucsLifeMedia.com. August 12, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  3. Herder, Sam (April 15, 2019). "FCS: Illinois State's Spencer Schnell Inspired To Accomplish NFL Dream". HEROSports.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  4. "Elkhart's Spencer Schnell named to Missouri Valley All-Newcomer team". The Elkhart Truth. December 9, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  5. Marra, Michael (November 27, 2017). "Four Redbirds make All-MVC First team, five others earn MVC accolades". The Vidette. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  6. "ISU football names Schnell, Mathews as top players". The Pantagraph. November 29, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  7. Kanno, Jason (May 11, 2019). "Bucs sign three tryout players". Bucs Wire. USA Today. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  8. Williams, Charean (December 16, 2019). "Bucs sign receiver Spencer Schnell to the practice squad". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  9. Smith, Scott (December 18, 2019). "Bucs Promote Spencer Schnell, Put Mike Evans and Jordan Whitehead on IR". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  10. Smith, Scott (December 22, 2019). "Early Mistakes Doom Resilient Bucs in Loss to Houston". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  11. 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.
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