Brentis Jarryn Schaeffer (born January 25, 1986) is a former
Arena football
Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Ole Miss.
He also played college football at the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
and
College of the Sequoias
College of the Sequoias (COS) is a public two-year community college in Visalia, California. The college is named for the Giant Sequoia trees native to the nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range.
History
College of the Sequoias was originally esta ...
.
High school career
Schaeffer attended
Deerfield Beach High School
Deerfield Beach High School (DBHS) is a public high school in Deerfield Beach, Florida. It is part of the Broward School District and has an enrollment of approximately 2,400.
The school features the IB Middle Years Programme or Pre-IB, which ...
where he played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
. As a
junior
Junior or Juniors may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959
* ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009
* ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010
* ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019
Films
* ''Junior'' (1994 ...
in 2002, he passed for 2,574 yards and 31 touchdowns while recording 538 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. That year, he also attended the Elite 11 Quarterback camp. He also earned All-State Honorable mention honors. As a
senior, he passed for 2,177 yards, 24 touchdowns, 397 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. That season, he was named the No. 11 overall prospect in Florida by the ''
Miami Herald
The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...
'' and the top prospect in
Broward County
Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...
. He was named to the ''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...
s Super Southern 100 team. He was rated by ''TheInsiders.com'' as a four-star prospect and the 14th-ranked quarterback in the nation. He was also rated by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'' as a four-star prospect and the No. 7 rated dual-threat Quarterback in the nation. He was rated by ''SuperPrep'' as the No. 10 ranked Quarterback prospect in the nation and the No. 8 ranked overall prospect in Florida. He was a ''PrepStar'' All-America selection. He was also listed by recruiting expert Tom Lemming as the No. 16 ranked Quarterback prospect in the nation.
College career
Schaeffer, a four-star quarterback recruit, received offers from several different schools, those schools included:
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
,
Auburn,
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
,
NC State
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...
, and
South Florida.
He visited Tennessee first on December 12, 2003, then Kansas State on December 19.
His next visit was to South Florida on January 9, 2004.
Followed by Auburn on January 16.
His final visit was to NC State on January 23.
University of Tennessee
Schaeffer began his college career at the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
, where he became the first
true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
quarterback to start a season opener for an SEC team since freshman eligibility was restored in 1973 and the first in 59 years.
In the season opener against
UNLV
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...
, he was 7 for 10 for 123 passing yards and one passing touchdown to go along with 29 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. However, he was then replaced as the starter by
Erik Ainge a few weeks later, then he broke his
collarbone
The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the right ...
and missed the rest of the season.
In April 2005, Schaeffer and another Tennessee player were involved in a fight in a
dorm lobby. According to ''Sports Illustrated'', Schaeffer was charged with misdemeanor assault and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge with a sentence of six months of judicial diversion.
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
Phillip Fulmer then asked Schaeffer to be transferred to another school due to the unnecessary length of his "punishment".
College of the Sequoias
Schaeffer then transferred to the
College of the Sequoias
College of the Sequoias (COS) is a public two-year community college in Visalia, California. The college is named for the Giant Sequoia trees native to the nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range.
History
College of the Sequoias was originally esta ...
in 2005 and spent one year there. Where he was named First-team
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n and Co-Offensive Player of the Year by the California Community College Coaches Association as well as First-team All-America by ''J.C Gridwire''. He was also a finalist for the Junior College National Player of the Year Award. He was rated the No. 1
JUCO
A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...
Quarterback in the nations by ''
Scout.com
Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
'' and ''CollegeFootballNews.com''. He was rated the No. 1 JUCO Quarterback and No. 3 Overall JUCO player in the nation by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
''. He was also rated the No. 1 JUCO player in the nation by ''SuperPrep'' and No. 2 JUCO player in the nation by ''CollegeFootballNews.com''. For his season at College of the Sequoias, he passed for 2,970 yards and 40 touchdowns. He also rushed for 860 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Schaeffer, a five-star Quarterback, received offers from
Ole Miss, NC State,
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, Auburn, and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.
He first visited NC State on December 2, 2005.
Then a week later on December 9, he visited Wisconsin.
He ended his visits by visiting Ole Miss on January 13, 2006.
He signed his
letter of intent
A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement, term sh ...
on January 20.
That same day, he announced at a
press conference
A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental organ ...
that he was transferring to
Ole Miss.
Ole Miss
Schaeffer then transferred to Ole Miss prior to the
2006 season and was named the team's starting quarterback, even before arriving to campus or being ruled academically qualified to play.
He was expected, by head coach
Ed Orgeron
Edward James Orgeron Jr. (; born July 27, 1961) is an American football coach. He was most recently the head football coach at Louisiana State University (LSU), a position he held from midway through the 2016 season until the 2021 season. Orge ...
, to graduate from College of the Sequoias in June, which Schaeffer failed to do. So he returned to his home in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and enrolled in
correspondence course
Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...
s to complete the six academic hours he needed for admission to Ole Miss. However, the correspondence courses were taking too long due to their open ended dates, which Coach Orgeron said. ''"When you take correspondence courses, there's an open-ended date. Some of the courses were taking too long to complete. I didn't know if he could complete them by the time camp started." ''
Schaeffer eventually did arrive and started all 12 games and completed 115-of-244 passes (47.1%) for 1,442 yards, nine touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a
passer rating
Passer rating (also known as passing efficiency in college football) is a measure of the performance of passers, primarily quarterbacks, in gridiron football. There are two formulas currently in use: one used by both the National Football Leag ...
of 100.75. Then in
2007, he completed 35-of-93 passes (37.6%) for 578 yards, five touchdowns, four interceptions and a passer rating of 98.98. In the preseason, he was selected as the SEC's best Scrambler by ''Athlon''.
Collegiate statistics
Professional career
NFL Draft
Schaeffer was projected as a
wide receiver in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
by ''NFLDraftScout.com'', rated the 94th best out of 334 and was projected to go unselected in the
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
.
He went unselected in the
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...
.
af2
Schaeffer joined the
af2
The AF2 (often styled as af2, and short for arenafootball2) was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football ru ...
in 2008 and on December 16, 2008, he was assigned to the
Central Valley Coyotes
The Central Valley Coyotes were a professional arena football team and were a charter member of the AF2. As the newly forming AF2 set aside its plans for a two tier league and began focusing only on bigger markets, Central Valley stepped down a ...
. However, on March 1, 2009, he was placed on the teams' Refused to Report list along with WR/DB Steve Gonzalez and OL/DL Earl Stephens.
Personal life
Schaeffer is a cousin of former
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
quarterback and
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
runner-up
Brad Banks
Brad Banks (born April 22, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Iowa where he was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.
Early years
Banks attended Glades Central High School where he was a First-team ...
.
References
External links
Ole Miss Rebels profileat
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schaeffer, Brent
1986 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
American football wide receivers
Central Valley Coyotes players
College of the Sequoias Giants football players
Ole Miss Rebels football players
People from Deerfield Beach, Florida
Players of American football from Broward County, Florida
Tennessee Volunteers football players