Spencer Schnell remembers telling his dad he wants to play in the NFL. Despite people telling him he was too small or too slow, that was his dream. Schnell's dad, David, spent one year in the league and told his son to believe in himself and work hard and anything can happen.
That mindset never left Schnell, especially after his father passed away in 2011 from cancer. David was 44. Spencer was 16.
His dad's advice was especially stuck in the back of his mind during his early college football days. Schnell first committed to Bowling Green and arrived on campus in the summer, only to have the coaching staff leave, so Schnell decided to return home. He walked on at Ohio University in the spring of 2014 and was told he'd earn a scholarship after one year, only to see that scholarship be given to a fifth-year player. Not being able to afford the school's tuition, Schnell decided to transfer again.
He landed another walk-on opportunity at Illinois State in 2015 but had to sit out a year in residence so he could pay in-state tuition. Schnell kept his head down and kept working hard like his dad told him, knowing it'd all pay off eventually.
It definitely did.
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Schnell, a 5-foot-9 and 180-pound slot receiver, went on to be a standout player for the Redbirds, earning All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors in his three seasons from 2016-18. He went from the All-Newcomer Team to the Second Team to the First Team as he racked up 175 career receptions for 2,030 yards and 14 touchdowns, earning a scholarship along the way.
The Elkhart, Indiana, native added 112 kick return yards and 479 punt return yards.
Schnell's route-running, toughness up the middle of a defense, ability to make plays with the ball in his hands and his contributions on special teams have him fully on NFL radars. Getting a rookie minicamp invite is a lock, and after his Pro Day performances opened some team scouts' eyes, his agent is working on getting him an undrafted free agent deal.
“It’s always been my goal (to play in the NFL) growing up as a football player," Schnell told HERO Sports. "My dad had played in the NFL for a year. I just always wanted to follow in his footsteps ever since he passed away.”
Schnell participated at Northwestern's and Illinois State's Pro Days. He ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash and 6.71-second 3-cone drill, which would have been the fastest time among the wide receivers at the NFL Combine.
He had interest from teams before his Pro Days, but it's picked up even more since.
Dallas has had the most extensive 1-on-1 talks with Schnell. A scout for the Cowboys told Schnell he's the closest comparison to Cole Beasley he's seen since he began scouting. Beasley recently left the Cowboys and signed with Buffalo.
Denver, San Francisco, Oakland and New Orleans have talked with Schnell's agent.
“My mindset personally is to just be positive and take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself," Schnell said. "I get anxious at times. When I go to bed, I’ll think about where I could be a month from now … I’m just going to let my work speak for itself and continue to train to be the best player I can be. And when that time comes, take advantage of that opportunity. Being a walk-on taught me that you’re going to have to go through some struggles and adversity to get to where you want to be. You have to stay focused on what the main goal is and for me, that’s to play in the NFL.”
Schnell has gone through hardships, both as a football player and a human being. Thanks to the advice from his dad, it hasn't knocked him off the path of achieving his dream.
“Losing a parent when you’re young is really hard and it’s something that not everyone goes through," Schnell said. "But the people that do, they understand that you want to make them proud. At the end of the day when you lay down at night, you know that you can either make them proud that day or you didn’t. Every day when I wake up, I want to make him proud … That motivates me every day to be a better person and a better player."
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