Bucs Score Another Hit at the Wide Receiver Position: Spencer Schnell
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Schnell tops Receiving Stats in 1st preseason game
Even though Friday’s preseason game ended with Tampa on the short side of the scoreboard, It was anything but a loss. As preseason games are supposed to go, we found out a little bit more concerning the talent on this, Bruce Arians inaugural season’s, team. One of the headlines of this game came from a familiar position, Wide Receiver. Bucs fans have become accustomed to expecting great things from that position. On this night, though, the excellence came from a player most fans may have never even known was on the team, much less ever heard of.
Let me introduce you to maybe the next great receiver on this team. Spencer Schnell, take a bow. Spencer who, you may ask? Schnell, Who came to the Bucs as an undrafted free agent from Illinois State University. Where, you’re thinking? Yeah, I get it. The 5’9″, 185 lb receiver tied Tight End Tanner Hudson in number of receptions with 7, but had the most yards receiving on the team with 119, averaging 17 yards a grab. Not too shabby for a Lil feller from Elkhart Indiana. Games like this though are no big deal for the smaller player with the heart of a champion. He’s been turning heads since High School and has impressed on every level of competition he has played against.
Superior play is nothing new to Schnell
In High School, he earned First-Team All-Region and First-Team All-Conference honors, was selected for the North vs. South All-Star game, awarded First-Team All-Area pick, and finished the season with 101 receptions for 1,458-yards and 11 touchdowns. He also returned a pair of punts for touchdowns. He was selected as a Second-Team All
Conference and was a First-Team All-Area selection as a junior for catching 58 passes for 984-yards and eight touchdowns that season.
In 2018, during his Senior Year at Illinois State, he was All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First-Team selection, selected as a team captain, and led the Redbirds and the MVFC in receptions with 65. He was ranked second in the league with 872 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 13.4 yards per catch, and 79.3 yards per contest. He recorded three 100-plus yard receiving performances, including a season-best 174-yards on eight catches with two touchdowns against Eastern Illinois. He served as the team’s primary punt returner, averaging 8.7 yards per return. As you can see, he’s no stranger to success.
Team success at the position
It remains to be seen with all the talent at wide receiver on this team if Schnell will be able to land a spot on the 53 man roster. One thing is for sure, if he keeps up this level of play, it will be very hard to deny him that spot. His future, so far looks bright, if not with the Bucs, then somewhere in this league. This staff and front office especially, have a knack for bringing in talent at the receiver position, that cannot be denied. Go Bucs!!
