USF Athletics

28-Year-Old Aussie Schneider Getting Big Kick Out of Playing for Bulls

September 27, 2018

Follow @USFFootball On Twitter
Like USF Football on Facebook
 
 
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, SEPT. 27, 2018 – Going from construction to crushing footballs, Trent Schneider is proving you're never too old, or too far away from achieving a dream if you really want to make it happen.

The 28-year-old punter from Sydney, Australia is getting a big kick out of playing football for the Bulls at Raymond James Stadium about 16 years after discovering the sport in the Land Down Under.

"The first game I ever watched on TV was with the Buccaneers in it at Raymond James Stadium with a cool pirate ship. It is a surreal feeling when you walk out there," said Schneider after the Bulls' bye week practice session Wednesday. "I was watching the Pittsburgh game on Monday. You watch TV and you're like, 'I play there.' That's a good feeling. I never thought it would happen but it has, so I feel lucky."

Head coach Charlie Strong's Bulls feel fortunate to have a guy they affectionately call "Aussie" pinning opponents deep downfield at Ray Jay and beyond. Last Saturday, Schneider tied the USF record with a 72-yard punt in the Bulls' 150^th program victory. The man called "Schneids" back home punted nine times for a booming average of 49.2 yards, which is tied for third in the USF single-game record book.

Not bad for a former soccer/rugby player who worked construction for seven and a half years out of high school.

"I used to always work on the water and stuff, it was a good time," said Schneider, who had his "own little company." "This is probably more fun, I'd say."

Schneider's path to football started with a little internet luck when he was "having a bit of fun" punting a ball at a park in Australia. A friend was impressed by Schneider's Facebook video post and advised him to contact Prokick Australia.

"He gave me the email and said, 'If you want to take it seriously, you should hit them up,'" Schneider said.

With his family's full support, Schneider followed up on the football idea and eventually found himself in California kicking for Santa Barbara City College, where he played in 11 games in 2016 as a freshman in his mid-20s. Schneider paid his own way at the JUCO level and earned his associate degree in the process.

"Since I was a little kid, you always have dreams of playing high-level sports," he said. "The opportunity came. I wasn't getting any younger, so I decided why not? I don't regret it."

Taking a big chance more than 9,000 miles away from home paid dividends for Schneider when Strong gave him a USF offer he couldn't refuse.

"Getting a high-level education is a big thing," said Schneider, who also handles kickoff duties for the Bulls. "If you get a scholarship, why not?"

Averaging 43.1 yards per punt as a sophomore, Schneider now gets to major in communication with a concentration in media and culture. In the future, Schneider wants to pursue his master's in entrepreneurship and utilize his carpentry skills, or get into sports management.

"I've kind of done my life backwards because everyone back home, they've all got their nice careers now and stuff, and they've all finished with college," Schneider said. "I had a career and now I've gone back to college, but I'm sure they're jealous that I get to play at Raymond James Stadium in front of all the people."

Bulls Bits

• THOMAS A CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALIST: Senior safety Jaymon Thomas (Immokalee, Fla.) has been named one of 179 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which "recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership." Thomas brought a 3.48 GPA into his senior year and the health sciences major is on track to graduate this December. On the field, Thomas has the fourth-most tackles among USF players this season with 25, including 18 solo stops. Learn more about Thomas HERE.
• HAMPTON SOLID IN COVERAGE: Starting cornerback Mike Hampton currently leads The American and is tied for seventh nationally with 2.0 pass breakups per game. The sophomore from Tampa racked up four pass breakups in the conference-opening win over East Carolina and has eight on the year.
• ST. FELIX, SALOMON GO-TO OPTIONS: Randall St. Felix and Darnell Salomon head into the weekend ranking eighth and ninth on the conference stat sheet in receiving yards per game with 74.0 and 72.0, respectively.  St. Felix, a redshirt freshman from Miami, had the best receiving yards debut in program history with 143 against Elon and posted another 120 yards in the win over Illinois. St. Felix has caught at least one pass in all four games this season. Salomon, a junior from Miami, registered his team-leading fourth TD catch from 66 yards out against ECU and is averaging an eye-catching 22.15 yards per reception this season.
• BULLS PUT UP POINTS: USF's 20-13 victory over ECU last weekend marked the Bulls' 34^th straight game posting at least 20 points, which is the longest such streak in the nation. "Our main (reason) for success is just our execution," said starting right tackle Marcus Norman (Sebastian, Fla.). "Our quarterback executing, our receivers executing. Everyone on the field executing that way we can score points."
• STRONG SUCCESS: Head coach Charlie Strong has a 16-2 record in his first 18 games with the Bulls. As a head coach in The American, Strong has a 26-3 overall record in three seasons after going 12-1 with Louisville in 2013.
• BULLS IN THE POLLS: USF is getting closer to breaking into the top 25. This week, the Bulls received the second-most votes among unranked teams with 113 in the Amway Coaches' Poll. USF spent the entire 2017 season in the top 25, reaching as highly as No. 13, before finishing No. 21 in the AP and Coaches polls.

 
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 15 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and posted a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 28 first-team all-conference selections.
 
Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.