Husker Walk-on Q-n-A: Ryan Schommer

Ryan Schommer is a redshirted freshman from Norfolk who was an outstanding three-sport player in high school, excelling also in basketball and track and field. He chose to walk on at Nebraska, and in his first season with the Huskers earned defensive scout team player of the year as a defensive lineman. Now at outside linebacker, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Schommer continues to excel on scout team with the goal of moving up the depth chart. Schommer visited with Brian Rosenthal for Huskers.com's weekly walk-on Q-n-A segment.
 
BR: How did you decide on playing football and walking on at Nebraska?
Ryan: "Starting off, I thought basketball was going to be my ticket to college. I mean, I did a whole lot of traveling, went to Vegas, for basketball. But then I switched positions from pretty much receiver and outside 'backer to defensive lineman my junior year. It wasn't even really for college; I just wanted to get a better position, and to get my name out there. I went to about 15 camps over my junior, going into senior, summer. I learned the defensive line position a lot better, and started getting offers. My biggest offer before the Nebraska walk-on one was Northwest Missouri State. So I was really thrilled to get that one, and then for the Husker opportunity, I remember Bob Diaco coming over on the sideline and I remember every little detail of (the offer). It was amazing."
 
BR: Did you have to think about Nebraska's walk-on offer for very long?
Ryan: "I did not. Literally I would've committed right there on the field, but I knew I wanted to talk to my family, of course, about it and clear out every avenue I could go. Because it is not free. It's a lot of money to go to an institution like this. But it wasn't really a question for me. My dad and I had 50-yard-line season tickets, so I grew up going to the games, dreaming of being a Blackshirt. When the Blackshirts came, former players spoke and presented them, and it was just amazing, seeing those guys get choked up – grown men get choked up. I'm like, 'I want that. I want to be in that spot one day.' Steve Warren was there. He was helping me out when I was trying to become a D-lineman. He helped me with the transition. But now, I'm back to outside 'backer. I'm feeling good there, tho."
 
BR: What's the depth like at your position?
Ryan: "I made fall camp, which was a huge step for me, because I wasn't really sure how the transition would go. I made (camp) last year as a D-lineman. So I was thrilled to make it again this year and was going to give it everything I have, and just really, I wanted to improve covering, especially. Because pass rush transfers from D-line, but covering doesn't. So I feel like I got better at that. I was running with the 3s for a while, then JoJo (Domann) got healthy again, so now I'm with the 4s. I'm on scout team for now and am just going to help make the offense get better and improve as I can."
 
BR: What kind of pride do you take on scout team?
Ryan: "It's everything for me. Last year I was honored to become scout team player of the year defensively, and I think what really did it was the 'dog' mindset. We like to say that we're dogs on scout team. You're not really doing it for yourself. If you're doing it for yourself, you won't really give out the effort. I mean, you're on scout team. So I was thinking I was trying to make Brenden Jaimes and Matt Farniok better – two guys who just hate my guts – because I'm going full speed. But they love it at the same time, but I'm trying to make them better. So it's everything."
 
BR: What kind of a bond do walk-ons here have knowing the history of the walk-on program, and what Coach Frost wants it to become again?
Ryan: "Especially knowing with what Coach Frost wants it to be compared to – like I said, I had a 50-yard-line ticket. I've seen the standards and how they've been raised. I want – we all want – to get better and make a difference and earn a scholarship. Trent Hixson earned a scholarship, and a bunch of walk-ons, you could think that walk-ons would be jealous, but none of us were jealous. We all just wanted each guy to get his own chance and earn that scholarship. We're just happy for each other."
 
BR: Like you said, it's not easy for a walk-on financially. What sacrifices have you had to make to make this dream happen?
Ryan: "That's a good question. It isn't easy. I'm lucky enough to have a pretty good financial situation with my parents. But they don't want me to think I don't have a foot in the game. So I go back home – we own some land in the O'Neill/Spencer area, and I go up there and work on the farm, pulling out some barbed wire fence and cutting down cedar trees. We'll work 10 hours out there, me and my dad. He'll pay me appropriately."
 
BR: So your dad farms?
Ryan: "He doesn't. So here's the thing. We rent it out to some ranchers, but we make sure that it's at the standard that we have. Just like Coach Frost has a standard, we have a standard for that land. And we obtained some new land, and that was not taken care of very well. So we've been remodeling, in a sense."
 
BR: What does your dad do?
Ryan: "He owned a business called Telebeep Wireless in Norfolk. He was pretty politically active, too, with the Republican party, but once we went into high school he kind of just laid that to the side. He was a huge difference maker in the community, and I'm very proud of him, but really, it was that Telebeep business, and he sold it, and now he's just pretty much working on the land."
 
BR: Do you know the most famous UNL alum from Norfolk?
Ryan: "Oh, I know … Johnny Carson. Johnny Carson. But I would also put Bill LaFleur in there. I know he was an amazing punter here, and still is, I bet. I mean, he kind of showed me how to punt a little bit."
 
BR: What's the biggest piece of advice you've ever taken from Coach Frost?
Ryan: "I know he has two rules. One, is always do the right thing, and two, treat women with respect. Treat women the right way. Especially in college, there's a lot of opportunities to not do that. I think the way I was raised shows I can obviously do that, but I think coach wants us to step up. And I think that's good advice, to step up and defend women and to be there for them and treat them the right way."
 
BR: If you were to play another sport in college besides football, what sport would it be?
Ryan: "Yeah, basketball was definitely my love. But my girlfriend is a huge baseball fan, and I've started to really learn that game. So I think it would be kind of interesting to do baseball. First baseman, or really anything. I want to try baseball sometime. Never played it. I was always football, basketball and track. I was a hurdler and then from sophomore to junior year I gained 30, 40 pounds, trying to become a D-lineman, and they moved me to a thrower."
 
BR: What are your personal expectations this season?
Ryan: "I want to get off scout team. I love scout team, but I want to earn my way to come off it and become one of the guys that rotates with the 3s, and then special teams. I want to make a difference on special teams."
 
BR: What's your biggest memory or moment, either personally or as a team, since you've been at Nebraska?
Ryan: "Last year for sure we had a few fights during practice. I remember one time one of the O-lineman grabbed my helmet, kept yanking it from the facemask and then threw it. He yanked it off my head my head and threw it 5 yards. It landed right at Coach Frost's feet. He picks it up, brushes it off and says, 'Go get him.' So I put my helmet on, thinking, 'That means go fight,' but then in hindsight I'm kind of thinking maybe he meant go play better the next rep or something. But I went, and we had a great fight. And then it turns out I kind of built a little bit of respect right there, showing that I won't back down. That's what walk-ons, that's what we really have. We're a whole bunch of dogs that won't take anything for granted."
 
BR: What was the highlight of your high school career?
Ryan: "Definitely one of my favorite moments was I was on punt, and I went down, and this is what I was told – I know it was a hard hit, but I hit the guy really, really hard, but they told me they could hear the hit from the concession stands. So that was one of my favorite plays. I also remember another play where MJ Montgomery, he was the left defensive end, and I was the right D-end, and we just sandwiched a guy. He was absolutely creamed. The dude could've turned into jelly for all I know. We hit him really hard."
 
BR: What are your plans after college and football?
Ryan: "Well I'm an advertising major, public relations. Something in that avenue. I've been doing a lot with Life Skills, and that's one of my bigger passions, community work and helping out with community. So I want to continue in that avenue, whatever that might be."
 
BR: What is your favorite Life Skills activity?
Ryan: "Well, I mentor some fourth-graders, but I also have a pen pal, a second-grader in Lincoln, and I love writing her. She'll come visit sometime or I'll go visit her. And then the Road Race. I was on the leadership committee. That was a learning experience for me, learning to step up and become a leader for the first time on this team. It was really a great experience. I was very honored for it."
 
Reach Brian at brosenthal@huskers.com or follow him on Twitter @GBRosenthal.