Jericho Schmidt has only been playing for five years, but he is already making a name for himself in the Western Prairies.
The 17-year-old pivot, standing 6’0 tall and weighing in at 192lbs, has played with the Tinkler Raiders of the Kinsmen Football League (KFL) and the Walter Murray Marauders of the Saskatoon Secondary School Athletic Department (SSSAD). He has thrown for approximately 3,500 yards, and 25 touchdowns through the air, while scrambling for more than 800 yards and amassing eight rushing majors in his three years at Walter Murray.
Schmidt is extremely focussed on and off the field. Among his pre-game rituals, he says, are to eat a banana and orange prior to every game, and then study his playbook vigorously, examining every single play to make sure he is astutely prepared for kickoff.
The 2017 high school graduate says he loves the fact that, behind centre, everything is riding on his shoulders.
“What I love my position is the fact that I’ve got all the pressure,” Schmidt expressed. “I have the ability to change the game on every single offensive snap.”
He says he tries to emulate one of the NFL’s shorter signal-callers, who, like himself, is putting talk of his small stature to bed.
“I model my game after Drew Brees,” Schmidt said. “He is a bit if a shorter quarterback, but he has completely gotten rid of the height factor and has been shredding defences for a decade.”
The born-and-raised resident of Saskatoon says that, while the recruitment process has been enjoyable to date, he has been left wondering where he stands with scouts on a few occasions.
“The recruitment process has been cool and it’s definitely something I will never forget,” he stated. “I will admit it’s been a little confusing and I sometimes wish coaches were a little more straightforward with me as to where we are on making a deal.”
Schmidt says he expects to have a relatively easy transition to the next level, wherever that may be.
“My adjustment to the next level will be quick,” he said. “I am a student of the game and I live for chalk talk and practice. It’s something I look forward to every day and the opportunity to have more of both those things will be necessary to make the transition as painless as possible.
Even though this is the football offseason, this student-athlete will not be out of competitive game action very long.
“My offseason will consist of communicating with coaches while playing a full season of basketball along with track and field and attending the gym regularly,” Schmidt mentioned. “I will also be attending football workouts in the Winter and competing to obtain my spot on the Senior Bowl roster.
The Marauders quarterback has yet to commit to a U Sports school at this point, but says his top three choices would include two local schools (Regina and Saskatchewan) as well as the up-and-coming OUA program at Carleton. That said, he would also be open to playing in the CJFL as well.
Jericho Schmidt
QB
6’0, 192lbs
Teams: Tinkler Raiders, Walter Murray Marauders
Commitment: None
Official Visits: None
Consideration: Regina, Saskatchewan, Carleton, Open
Class: 2017
Photo Credits: Jericho Schmidt
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