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So my interest here came from the spring game. I was watching the highlights from the Baylor Athletics Friday night lights reel when I saw something that caught my eye. I saw all of the excellence of Corey Coleman doing Corey Coleman things, and KD Cannon with his smoothness (among others) and our full bevy of running backs. I saw the same spectacular stuff I wanted and expected to see (including the beastliness that is LaQuan). But then at the 2:00 minute mark I saw something that I didn't expect. A number I don't recognize #21 absolute trucks a DB on a run
Go ahead and watch it if you haven't, I'll wait... Ok we good now? In case you missed it, here's a gif (you're welcome, lamron!)
Now I am by no means an expert, I am a fan of my school and I support and follow closely (I mean come on, after the unspeakable amount of money I gave them for my degree I am truly invested but that is a different story) but I don't devote unending days to rosters or anything. But then I start to wonder, I know all of our RBs. After the loss on our depth chart of Salsa Nacho, I knew we would be expanding in this area probably at some point.
I know Shock Linwood, of course, Johnny Jefferson, Devin Chafin, Anthony Webb and Terrence Williams, I even know a little about Iain Hunter. But #21, this one surprised me a bit. Quite honestly I did not know for sure who he hit the Truck stick on (turns out to be Miles Johnson DB transfer from Oregon #25) but that was a ferocious hit. So I start to look for information and I found this tweet:
Wyatt Schrepfer, a 200-pound transfer RB from Colorado School of Mines, absolutely trucks Baylor CB and Oregon transfer Miles Johnson.
— Tim Griffin (@TimGriffinBig12) March 21, 2015
There were 2 things in that tweet I knew nothing about
1. Colorado School of Mines
2. Wyatt Schrepfer.
One thing I did know is that hit was worthy of a highlight reel and after a bit of digging come to find out he has a history of making highlight reels. Other tweets I came across were:
Remember the name Wyatt Schrepfer. Getting a lot of touches and making the most of them. #BUFridayNightLights
— John Elizondo (@john_elizondo) March 21, 2015
Colorado School of Mines transfer Wyatt Schrepfer is quickly becoming one of my new favorite players. @BUFootball
— Spencer Cutright (@spencercutright) March 21, 2015
Someone named Wyatt Schrepfer brought the truck stick.
— OurDailyBears (@OurDailyBears) March 21, 2015
All of this begs the question... who is he? Here are his football numbers.
High School:
Hoehne, CO
Youtube Film
HUDL Film
NCSA Film
ESPN Page
TALE OF THE TAPE from HUDL
| Height | 5'10" |
| Weight | 199lbs |
| 40yd Dash | 4.54 |
| Shuttle | 4.09 |
| Vertical | 37" |
| Bench Press | 320lbs |
| Squat | 470lbs |
| 100m | 11.4 |
| 400m | 52.2 |
More Information:
Over 500 athletes attended the Portland Nike Combine hosted at Tigard High School. Wyatt Schrepfer recorded the top SPARQ Rating for a running back on the day.
110.34 SPARQ
The small-school product came out and showed he has the athleticism to hang with anyone. Schrepfer ran for 1,531 yards on 178 carries, and added 322 yards receiving on 18 receptions this past season. Also dominated on the defensive side of the ball with 106 tackles.
From the 21,000 high school and middle school athletes tested on the 2014 Nike Football Tour his rating of 110.34 would have been right outside of the top 100 overall. 2014 Leaderboard
Wyatt in his own words:
It is my dream to play college football and I am planning on majoring in Business and eventually specializing in International Finance. My goal is to make a positive impact on the team I play for, work my way to the top, play at the highest competition level possible, and beat out what competition is in front of me while helping make my teammates better. I am a very coachable team player, and believe in hard work on and off the field. I can lead and follow with equal enthusiasm. I will be passionately committed to serving the program I play for.
That's all pretty awesome right... So how is it that he landed at the Division II Colorado School of Mines?
Schrepfer lettered four times in football and four times in track & field as a prep for Hoehne High School in Trinidad… Named the A-8 Man Player of the Year as a junior… Named First Team All-State and All-Conference as a junior… Named First Team All-State and All-Conference as a senior… Led team to state championships as a freshman and junior… State qualifier in 100m and 4x400m relay… Named to the Honor Roll… Earned an Academic Letter.
Hoehne, CO
Well let's look further into his recruiting and high school information:
According to Wikipedia: The population of Hoehne today is less than 100 people. But during its heyday, the town boasted a hotel, a train depot called "Hoehnes," a blacksmith, a Catholic church, and several stores. The train depot was retired in 1967. The Hoehnes train depot sign is still visible today at the original depot location.
Wikipedia: 8 man football
Article about 8 Man
with this quote
The most famous 8-man player probably is Rashaan Salaam, a running back who starred at Country Day (La Jolla, Calif.), earned a scholarship to the University of Colorado and won the Heisman Trophy in 1994.
Among the more notable former six- and eight-man players include former Houston Oilers coach Jack Pardee, the only six-man alumnus to make the College Football Hall of Fame. Other standouts include former NFL players Randy Rasmussen and Les Josephson, 1994 Heisman winner Rashaan Salaam and Dean Steinkuhler, who won the Outland Trophy as the best collegiate lineman in 1983.
Article: Eight-man football players still overcoming little-school stigma
Quote from the above article (Published: June 3, 2008 By Tim Griffin | ESPN.com)
"The exposure for them isn't like it is for the other kids in high school, and there's just a basic unfamiliarity with the game," Baylor coach Art Briles said. "It's really hard to evaluate the kids from the six-man game because of the techniques involved. It's just hard to compare to the 11-man game."
But as college football evolves with spread offenses that place a premium on getting players into space, there could be a place for gifted athletes who develop in six- and eight-man programs. The key for them will be getting the exposure to let college coaches know of their abilities.
I don't pretend like I know this guy or his life story but in my professional opinion as an internet reader who looked up some stuff about someone else here is what I think happened, this is a guy who went to a really small HS and killed it. He went to recruiting camps/SPARQ training and killed it, but was still under recruited.
Tim Griffin was right in that article because there is a stigma attached to small schools and no one wants to take the risk. Scholarships are precious and no one really wants to take a lottery ticket shot at a Heisman. Come on how many Rashaan Salaams can there be?
But also in that article is the CAB quote:
"If they come to camps and show people what they can do, a school might be willing to consider them because players are players," Briles said. "If coaches think they can play, they'll get a chance somewhere."
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In the wide-open spaces east of Trinidad, neighbors are miles apart. The horizon is clear, beyond a sea of prairie grass and piñon trees. It's not a place where a squirrel could sneak up on you, much less a tornado.
But a twister Friday did catch Wyatt Schrepfer by surprise.
"I had my headphones on," said Schrepfer, 18.
Schrepfer was mowing weeds on a tractor in his parents' driveway without a clue what was chasing him.
"It was coming in on my over my left shoulder so I didn't see it," Schrepfer said.
But he finally felt it.
"The hood of the tractor blew up and when I stood up to pull it back down, my hat flew off behind me, so I turned and saw it," Schrepfer said.
The tornado twisting its way closer to him.
"My first reaction was to take cover," Schrepfer said.
Exposed, Schrepfer figured he couldn't outrun it.
"I tucked in next to the tractor, but then it started moving so I tried running, but it kind of pulled me back into it, so I just decided to lie down," Schrepfer said.
In a small depression with his hands covering his head, he said he doesn't remember hearing the freight train sound that so many people describe.
OK this is awesome. Scary as I don't know what but awesome. I always thought the Twister movie thing was a joke the whole Cow flying by. Now I imagine it happening as I am lying on the ground listening to loud music watching things fly over my head.
Welcome to Baylor Wyatt and Sic Em!