O'Brien Schofield

Last updated

O'Brien Schofield
O'Brien Schofield.jpg
Schofield with the Seahawks in 2013
No. 50, 54, 93
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1987-04-03) April 3, 1987 (age 37)
Camden, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school: North Chicago Community (North Chicago, Illinois)
College: Wisconsin (2005–2009)
NFL draft: 2010  / Round: 4 / Pick: 130
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:141
Sacks:15.5
Forced fumbles:5
Fumble recoveries:2
Player stats at PFR

Alacce O'Brien Schofield (born April 3, 1987) is a former American football linebacker. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft and played for them for three seasons. He was also a member of the Seattle Seahawks during their Super Bowl XLVIII championship season and the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at Wisconsin.

Contents

As a fifth year redshirt senior defensive end for the 2009 Wisconsin Badgers he ranked second in the nation in tackles for a loss (TFLs) and second in the Big Ten Conference in quarterback sacks. For the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, he earned several second-team and honorable mention All-American recognitions by various publications. He was a first-team 2009 All-Big Ten Conference selection. He earned the defensive MVP award at the 2010 East–West Shrine Game, but was injured during practice for the 2010 Senior Bowl the subsequent week.

Early life

Schofield attended North Chicago Community High School. [1] In high school, Schofield was a Lake County, Illinois 2003 All-county second-team selection and 2004 first-team selection in football. [2] [3] He was also a special mention All-state selection in 2004. [4] In basketball, he was an All-county honorable mention for 2004–05. [5] In high school, he played wide receiver as a sophomore, defensive end as a junior and end, linebacker, receiver, fullback, placekicker, kick returner and punt returner as a senior. He also ran track. [6] Scout.com rated him as the 55th best high school football linebacker in the country. [6] Rivals.com ranked him as the 24th best defensive end in the country and the 24th best football prospect in Illinois. [7]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeight40Commit date
O'Brien Schofield
DE
Great Lakes, Illinois North Chicago (IL)6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)218 lb (99 kg)4.66Jan 28, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: 3 stars.svg     Rivals: 3 stars.svg     247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 55 (LB)   Rivals: 24 Weakside (DE)
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Wisconsin Football Commitment List 2005". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  • "Wisconsin Football Recruiting Commits 2005". Scout.com. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  • "2005 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 5, 2014.

College career

20091010 O'Brien Schofield chases Terrelle Pryor.jpg
Schofield (No. 50) chases Terrelle Pryor
20091010 O'Brien Schofield leads Wisconsin onto the field.jpg
Schofield leads the 2009 Wisconsin Badgers football team onto the field.

Schofield did not appear in any games for the 2005 Badgers and recorded no statistics although he appeared in five games for the 2006 Badgers. He recorded his first tackle on September 15 for the 2007 Badgers against The Citadel Bulldogs and his first sack and TFL on August 30 for the 2008 team against the Akron Zips. He concluded his career with a total of 17 sacks and 33 TFLs. He also accumulated 4 forced fumbles. [8] On June 7, 2007, 20-year-old Schofield lost his 19-year-old brother, Joshua, who drowned on a beach in Zion, IL. [9]

He was the 2009 Big Ten Conference runner-up in sacks with 12 to Ryan Kerrigan and runner-up in TFLs with 24.5 to Brandon Graham. [10] He ranked second in the nation in TFLs/game. [11] At the conclusion of the 2009 Big Ten Conference football season he was a 2009 First-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media. [12]

He concluded his career for Wisconsin Badgers football with the 2009 team in the December 29, 2009 Champs Sports Bowl. For the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, he was a second-team All-American selection by Scout.com and an honorable mention by College Football News , Sports Illustrated , and Pro Football Weekly . [13] [14] [15] During the season, he was the October 4, 2009, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his performance of October 3 against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. [16] He was selected as a midseason semifinalists for the Bednarik Award. [17]

The January 23, 2010, East–West Shrine Game, in which he earned defensive MVP, was his last game. He recorded an interception on a Max Hall pass and made three solo tackles in the game. [18] Schofield was projected to play linebacker in the NFL. [19] [20] During the week of practice at the Shrine Game, he performed with the linebackers in order to demonstrate his NFL potential for scouts. However, in the subsequent week of practice for the January 30, 2010, Senior Bowl, Schofield tore his anterior cruciate ligament. [21] [22]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span
6 ft 2+14 in
(1.89 m)
221 lb
(100 kg)
32+38 in
(0.82 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
All values from NFL Combine [23] [24]

Arizona Cardinals

Schofield was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, 130th overall, by the Arizona Cardinals. [25] Since Schofield was injured, he was considered a good value because his talent level was near first round draft choice level. He was expected to begin the 2010 NFL season on the physically unable to perform list but return late in the year as an outside linebacker. [26] Although he played on the defensive line in college, he was projected to play outside linebacker for the Cardinals who had Joey Porter and Will Davis on their roster. [27] Schofield signed a 4-year contract on July 27, 2010. [28] On August 31, he was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. [29]

He made his NFL debut on October 31, 2010, in Week 8, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Schofield forced a fumble against the Minnesota Vikings on November 7 on kick coverage that was recovered for a touchdown. [30] [31] Schofield recorded his first NFL sack on December 25, 2010, when he sacked QB Stephen McGee for an 11-yard loss in a 27-26 Arizona win over the Dallas Cowboys. [32] In the Cardinals January 2, 2011, regular season finale against the San Francisco 49ers, Schofield sacked QB Alex Smith for a 5-yard loss. [33]

He had his first two-sack game on December 18, 2011, against Seneca Wallace on back-to-back fourth quarter plays of an overtime victory over the Cleveland Browns. [34] [35] He became a starter during the 2012 NFL season. [36]

On July 25, 2013, he was released by the Arizona Cardinals. [37]

Seattle Seahawks

On July 27, 2013, Schofield was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks. [38] He posted a sack of Cam Newton in his debut with the 2013 Seahawks against the Carolina Panthers. [39] After helping the Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII, he became a free agent. On March 11, 2014, Schofield and the New York Giants agreed on a two-year, $8 million contract. [40] However, the deal was called off due to a problem with his physical. [41] He re-signed with the Seahawks on May 2, 2014. [42]

Atlanta Falcons

On March 12, 2015, Schofield signed with the Atlanta Falcons. [43] After the 2015 season, Schofield became a free agent. On September 21, 2016, Schofield rejoined the Atlanta Falcons after agreeing to a one-year contract. [44] He was released on October 4, 2016. [45]

NFL career statistics

Legend
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2010 ARI 100121202.03000011100
2011 ARI 160373344.53000002000
2012 ARI 99342684.06000000000
2013 SEA 1528711.03000000000
2014 SEA 160201552.02000001100
2015 ATL 1610302462.04000001000
2016 ATL 200000.00000000000
84211411172415.521000015200

Playoffs

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2013 SEA 201100.01000000000
2014 SEA 305320.00000001000
506420.01000001000

Personal life

Schofield is the eldest of five children of Anthony and Dawn Schofield. [9] Schofield's younger brother, Admiral, played basketball at the University of Tennessee and was drafted 42nd overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and later traded to the Washington Wizards. [46] His uncle Andre Carter played safety at Clemson. [6] Schofield is a cousin of both Vonnie Holliday and Bobby Engram who both have had long National Football League careers.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwight Freeney</span> American football player (born 1980)

Dwight Jason Freeney is an American former football player who played as a defensive end and linebacker for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orangemen, earning unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft. With the Colts, Freeney won Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears, and made seven Pro Bowls. He also played for the San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lofa Tatupu</span> American football player and coach (born 1982)

Mosiula Mea'alofa "Lofa" Tatupu is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans. Tatupu was selected by Seahawks in the second round of the 2005 NFL draft. After his playing career, he was an assistant linebackers coach with the Seahawks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Laurinaitis</span> American football player and coach (born 1986)

James Richard Laurinaitis is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as the linebackers coach at the Ohio State University. He played as a linebacker for the St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he was a three-time consensus All-American and won numerous awards. He was selected by the Rams in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Weatherspoon</span> American football player (born 1987)

Franklin De'Sean Weatherspoon is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Missouri, and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 19th overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm Smith (American football)</span> American football player (born 1989)

Malcolm Xavier Smith is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Smith was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLVIII after the Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos.

The 2010 East–West Shrine Game was the 85th staging of the all-star college football exhibition game featuring NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision players. The game featured over 100 players from the 2009 college football season, and prospects for the 2010 Draft of the professional National Football League (NFL), as well as for the United Football League's inaugural draft. In the week prior to the game, scouts from all 32 NFL teams attended. The proceeds from the East-West Shrine Game benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Acho</span> American football player (born 1988)

Samuel Onyedikachi Acho is an American sports analyst and former professional football player who is a football analyst on ESPN. He played as a linebacker for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL), and was vice president of the NFL Players Association. Acho played college football for the Texas Longhorns, started at linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals and on special teams for the Chicago Bears, and has won multiple awards related to leadership and scholarship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Hicks</span> American football player (born 1992)

Jordan Hicks is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he won a Super Bowl ring in 2018, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Irvin</span> American football player (born 1987)

Bruce Pernell Irvin Jr. is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the 15th overall pick of the 2012 NFL draft. Irvin won Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos, and also played in Super Bowl XLIX where he became the first player ever to be ejected from a Super Bowl. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Taylor (linebacker, born 1989)</span> American football player (born 1989)

Mike Taylor is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has been a member of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Wagner</span> American football player (born 1990)

Bobby Joseph Wagner is an American football linebacker for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah State and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. Wagner also played for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.

The 2014 Capital One Bowl is an American college football bowl game that was played on January 1, 2014, at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The 68th edition of the Capital One Bowl featured the South Carolina Gamecocks from the Southeastern Conference versus the Wisconsin Badgers from the Big Ten Conference. It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS football season. The game started at 1:00 p.m. EST and was telecast on ABC. It was sponsored by the Capital One financial services corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Schobert</span> American football player (born 1993)

Joseph Robert Schobert is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Schobert played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, winning the Jack Lambert Trophy in 2015, as the nation's best linebacker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Biegel</span> American football player (born 1993)

Vincent James Biegel is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. J. Edwards</span> American football player (born 1996)

T. J. Edwards is an American football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin.

Matt Sheldon is the game management coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He is a professional football coach, analyst and researcher with extensive NFL experience in research/analytics, in-game strategy, coaching and video editing with the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints. Additionally, he has worked with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Wisconsin Badgers of the NCAA. Sheldon also served as director of sports solutions development with Zebra Sports, the official provider of player tracking for the NFL. Sheldon has consulted with teams and leagues at the professional, olympic, collegiate and high school levels in North America and Europe. His areas of focus include strategy/tactics and decision-making, athlete tracking systems and elite athlete performance. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management and the University University of Wisconsin M.B.A. Program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. J. Watt</span> American football player (born 1994)

Trent Jordan Watt is an American football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers before being selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordyn Brooks</span> American football player (born 1997)

Jordyn W. Brooks is an American football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas Tech and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Chenal</span> American football player (born 2000)

Leopold Chenal is an American football linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Sanborn</span> American football player (born 2000)

Jack Sanborn is an American football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin.

References

  1. Potrykus, Jeff (July 29, 2004). "Illinois star commits to UW – Schofield is related to ex-Packer Holliday". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  2. "2003 All-Lake County Football Team". The News Sun . December 8, 2003. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  3. "2004 All-Lake County Football Team". The News Sun . December 3, 2004. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  4. Sakamoto, Bob (December 3, 2004). "Main ingredient to '04 titles: Defense – 6 of 11 on All-State unit in state finals". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  5. "2004–05 Boys All-Lake County Basketball Team". The News Sun . March 26, 2005. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 "#7 O'Brien Schofield". Scout.com . Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  7. "O'Brien Schofield". Rivals.com . Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  8. "Team: Wisconsin; Year: 2009 Thru 01/07/10; Player: O'Brien Schofield". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  9. 1 2 Potrykus, Jeff (October 30, 2009). "An inspirational journey: UW's Schofield motivated after loss of his brother". Journal Sentinel . Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  10. "The Automated ScoreBook: 2009 Big Ten Conference Individual Statistics Through games of Jan 08, 2010". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. January 8, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  11. "Bowl Subdivision (FBS) National Player Report: Tackles for Loss: Year: 2009". National Collegiate Athletic Association. January 8, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  12. "Big Ten Announces 2009 Football All-Conference Teams and Individual Honors". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. November 23, 2009. Archived from the original on November 27, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  13. Safrit, Miller (December 14, 2009). "Scout.com All-America Team". Scout.com . Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  14. "SI.com's 2009 All-Americas". Sports Illustrated . December 15, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2010.[ dead link ]
  15. "2009 CFN All-America Defense & Special Teams". College Football News . December 16, 2009. Archived from the original on December 19, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  16. "Wisconsin's Clay and Schofield, Northwestern's Demos and Penn State's Boone Nab Weekly Football Laurels: Badgers' running back and defensive end sweep offensive and defensive player of the week awards". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. October 4, 2009. Archived from the original on October 8, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  17. "Big Ten Weekly Football Release – Nov. 9: Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin Still Battling for Big Ten Title With Two Weekends Left". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. November 9, 2009. Archived from the original on November 12, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  18. Carnahan, J.C. (January 23, 2010). "Big Ten well represented in East-West Shrine game: Wisconsin's O'Brien Shofield wins East defensive MVP". Orlando Sentinel . Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  19. Rittenberg, Adam (January 22, 2010). "Schofield stands out in Shrine Game prep". ESPN . Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  20. McShay, Todd (January 21, 2010). "Schofield on the move: The switch from DE to LB hasn't been easy, but the Wisconsin star is making it work". ESPN . Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  21. Rittenberg, Adam (January 26, 2010). "Source: Wisconsin's Schofield hurt". ESPN . Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  22. "Wisconsin DE O'Brien Schofield tore his left ACL on the first day of Senior Bowl practices Monday". USA Today. January 25, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  23. "O'Brien Schofield Draft and Combine Prospect Profile", NFL.com, retrieved April 24, 2010
  24. "2010 NFL Draft Scout O'Brien Schofield College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  25. "2010 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  26. Rosenthal, Gregg (April 24, 2010). "Cardinals get value with O'Brien Schofield". NBC Sports . Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  27. Sando, Mike (April 24, 2010). "What Schofield could offer Cardinals". ESPN . Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  28. "Cardinals sign O'Brien Schofield to 4-year deal". Associated Press. July 27, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  29. "Arizona Cardinals Transactions - 2010". ESPN.com . Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  30. "O'Brien Schofield - #50 - LB (game logs)". NFL.com . Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  31. "Cardinals 24 (3-5, 1-4 away); Vikings 27 (3-5, 3-1 home)". ESPN. November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  32. "Dallas at Arizona". Yahoo!. December 25, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  33. "Arizona at San Francisco". Yahoo!. January 2, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  34. "Browns 17 (4-10, 1-6 away); Cardinals 20 (7-7, 5-2 home) (box score)". ESPN. December 18, 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  35. "Browns 17 (4-10, 1-6 away); Cardinals 20 (7-7, 5-2 home) (play-by-play)". ESPN. December 18, 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  36. Sando, Mike (September 2, 2012). "Cardinals, 49ers and the OLB shuffle". ESPN . Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  37. "Cardinals sign pass rusher Abraham, cut Schofield". FOX Sports Arizona. July 25, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  38. "Seahawks claim linebacker O'Brien Schofield off waivers". Sports Illustrated . Associated Press. July 27, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  39. "Seahawks 12 (1-0, 1-0 away); Panthers 7 (0-1, 0-1 home)". ESPN. September 8, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  40. Florio, Mike (March 11, 2014). "O'Brien Schofield heads to the Giants". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  41. Raanan, Jordan (March 12, 2014). "Giants deal with O'Brien Schofield considered 'dead'". NJ.com . Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  42. Rush, Doug (May 2, 2014). "O'Brien Schofield, Who Nearly Signed with New York Giants, Re-Signs with Seattle Seahawks". Sportsmedia101.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  43. Adams, Jay (March 12, 2015). "FALCONS AGREE TO TERMS WITH LB SCHOFIELD". atlantafalcons.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  44. "Falcons Sign LB Schofield, Waive RB Ward". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  45. Jackson, Curtis (October 4, 2016). "Falcons Sign LB Hawk, Release LB Schofield". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  46. "Admiral Schofield Bio - University of Tennessee Official Athletic Site". www.utsports.com. Retrieved November 25, 2015.