Brenden Schooler (born May 30, 1997) is an American professional football safety and special teamer for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Patriots in 2022.[1] Schooler played college football for the Oregon Ducks and Texas Longhorns, where he was both a safety and wide receiver.
 Schooler with the New England Patriots in 2022 aboard the USS Constitution | |||||||
| No. 41 – New England Patriots | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Safety Special teamer | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | May 30, 1997 Dana Point, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, California) | ||||||
| College: | Oregon (2016–2019) Texas (2020–2021) | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 2022 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2024 | |||||||
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College career
editSchooler played for four years at Oregon, from 2016 to 2019, where he played both safety and wide receiver. In 2020 he briefly transferred to Arizona, but left after the 2020 Pac-12 football season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, transferring to Texas, where he played in 2020 and 2021.[2]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+5⁄8 in (1.87 m) |
203 lb (92 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m) |
4.43 s | 1.57 s | 2.59 s | 4.10 s | 6.71 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) |
10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) |
16 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[3] | ||||||||||||
At his pro day in Texas, Schooler ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.71 seconds.[3][1] After going undrafted, Schooler was signed by the New England Patriots in May 2022 to a three-year contract, the standard for undrafted rookies, including a $15,000 signing bonus.[1][4]
Schooler was one of two undrafted rookies to make the 2022 team, extending the Patriots' streak of undrafted free agents making the team to 19 seasons.[5]
In the Patriots' Week 2 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Schooler recovered a muffed punt by former Patriots All-Pro Gunner Olszewski, after the Steelers had only 10 men on the field for the play.[6] The Patriots scored the winning touchdown on the subsequent drive.[7] Schooler recovered a second muff in the Patriots' Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns; a viral video showed him trying to present the ball to head coach Bill Belichick during the game.[8] Schooler also recovered a punt blocked by Jonathan Jones in the Patriots' win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9.[9] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[10]
Schooler was one of two special teamers selected for the NFLPA All Pro team for the 2023-2024 season by his fellow players.
On October 11, 2024, Schooler and the Patriots agreed to a three–year, $9 million contract extension.[11] In the Patriots' Week 10 win over the Chicago Bears, Schooler recorded his first sack at any level of competition against Caleb Williams. He played five snaps in a defensive package known as the "Longhorn" package, spying on Williams on third down.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c Hart, Andy (May 9, 2022). "Patriots sign undrafted rookie from Texas with Matthew Slater-like story". www.audacy.com. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ Kelapire, Ryan (August 28, 2020). "Arizona grad transfer Brenden Schooler lands at Texas". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ a b "2022 Draft Scout Brenden Schooler, Texas NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
- ^ Buchmasser, Bernd (June 26, 2022). "Patriots roster analysis: Special teams might be Brenden Schooler's ticket onto the team". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ Yang, Nicole (August 30, 2022). "Patriots' streak of at least one undrafted free agent making initial 53-man roster continues". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ Lazar, Evan (September 20, 2022). "Punter Jake Bailey's Key Adjustment Led to Game-Changing Play for Patriots Special Teams". Patriots.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
- ^ Kadlick, Mike (September 19, 2022). "Brenden Schooler, Special Teams the Difference in Patriots Win vs. Steelers". CLNS Media. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
- ^ Leger, Justin (October 16, 2022). "Brenden Schooler reacts to hilarious Bill Belichick snub". NBC Sports Boston. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Thompson, Khari (November 6, 2022). "Patriots bully Colts with 9 sacks, a blocked punt, and a pick-6 in dominant home win". Boston.com. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ "2022 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ "Patriots sign building block player to 3-year extension". masslive.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "Patriots veteran wants to see more Brenden Schooler after star turning defensive performance". Boston Herald. November 10, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.