So You Wanna Be A College Linemen?: D1 FCS Edition
This series will cover Offensive Linemen on multiple levels of college football as we take a deeper dive into what it takes to be a college football player. From the food, and fun-filled visits as a recruit, to the reality…
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Continue ReadingThis series will cover Offensive Linemen on multiple levels of college football as we take a deeper dive into what it takes to be a college football player. From the food, and fun-filled visits as a recruit, to the reality of your first fall camp as a college player. Many of the Power five programs have a lot of content and media out on “day in the life” of players and what being on campus is like. Even though most of the “small schools” don’t get as much coverage it leaves a lot of people wondering what is actually like to play college football at all levels. Stay tuned to learn about the dedication, preparation, & time it takes to play this game at all levels of college football.
For round 3 of our series, we sat down with Hunter Schrock(6’3″ 314) sophomore guard for Western Illinois University. Hunter currently majors in Law Enforcement, he is from Forsyth, IL and he attended St. Thomas Moore Prep. Learn more about Hunter using link below
Q & A with Hunter Schrock
What made you choose Western Illinois University(D1-AA)?
Hunter:
“Well I knew I wanted to play D1, and I went to prep school out east and I really missed home. Western embodied where I was from, which is small town community rallying around the football team and I missed that.“
What was the most significant transition from HS to College?
Hunter:
“The speed of the game has been the biggest change, everything from D-Line reaction time to LB’s filling gaps happened at a speed I had never experienced before.“
What does your day look like as a college football player?
Hunter:
We have two different types of days I will go over
Monday/Wednesday
9:30am- Class
10:30am- Class Ends
3:00pm- Team Meeting4:30pm- Practice
6:30pm- Traning Table
7:30pm- Mandatory Study Hall
Tuesdays/Thursdays
6:00am- Workouts
9:00am- Class
1:50pm- Class ends
3:00pm- Team Meeting
4:30pm-Practice
6:30pm-Training Table after practice
How do you prepare for games now? Is it different than in high school?
Hunter:
“In high school you watched film but not nearly as in depth as you do in college. We watch so much film now you will have an idea of everything the defense does before saturday. Scout team has been a big difference for me because we did not have one in high school. Everything that goes into getting ready for a game is a lot different than high school. “
What do you know now about college football that you wish you knew as a high school senior?
Hunter:
“Honestly, be prepared to get your ass kicked! As a freshmen I came in here like I was pretty good in high school I can do this, when I first got to camp the freshmen didn’t do much the first couple weeks but once I got my first college reps against guy name Greg benton who is at Youngstown state, I was pass blocking and he came from 15 yards deep and just destroyed me. I was like, Oh my God this is the real deal. Biggest thing I would say is don’t expect to be all that. Expect to come in and learn and get better.“
Everyone talks about D1 or nothing. How has your experience been making that goal a reality?
Hunter:
“Honestly, I dont think it is D1 or nothing, because their are alot of good kids who play D2 some are on our team now that transferred up and they are very good. You can get seen anywhere, but I feel like D1 gives guys the best opportunity but my advice to guys would be if you have a good D2-D3 offer that you should take that and go prove yourself.”
We would Like to thank Hunter for taking the time out of his hectic day as a student-athlete to speak to us at Prep Redzone about his experiences. The grind of being a college football player at all levels is very similar, yet has distinct differences. I think from this series guys can realize that every level of college football is very competitive, despite what is being advertised. Utilize this information to prepare yourself to put your best foot forward on your quest of being the absolute best you can be. For all of your offensive line training tips, virtual sessions, etc please follow The O-Line Lab on all social media platforms. Please continue to follow and check out the series “So You Wanna be a College Linemen?” Next up will be the D3 edition. Keep working and keep grinding Big Dogs!