TAMPA, Fla. – After impressing coaches, scouts and staff last weekend at the team's rookie mini-camp, former Illinois State star wide receiver Spencer Schnell has signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League.
Schnell now joins former Redbird offensive lineman Mike Liedtke on the Bucs' 90-man offseason roster.Â
The Elkhart, Indiana, native and team captain capped off his Redbird career by leading the Redbirds and the MVFC in receptions with 65 in 2018. The Schnell ranked second in the league with 872 receiving yards and nine touchdowns and averaged 13.4 yards per catch to earn First-Team All-MVFC honors. He recorded three 100-plus yard receiving performances, including a season-best 174 yards on eight catches with two touchdowns against Eastern Illinois. Schnell also caught a pair of touchdowns at Missouri State and Indiana State and served as the team's primary punt returner and holder, averaging 8.7 yards per return.
In 2017, Schnell was an All-MVFC Second-Team selection and was the team's leading receiver with 51 receptions for 679 yards. He averaged 13.3 yards per receptions, scored four touchdowns and totaled a career-best 191 yards versus South Dakota (Oct. 21) to earn MVFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. In his first season with the Redbirds in 2016, Schnell was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team selection, after ranking No. 2 in the MVFC in punt return average (10.4) and second on the team with 59 receptions and 479 yards receiving with one touchdown.
Schnell is one of eight receivers in school history to record over 2,000 yards (2,030) and is tied for eighth on the career receiving touchdowns list with 14 overall. He also ranks fifth in career receptions with 175 and is third in receptions per game with 5.15.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
Â
