Ex-UA LB Schooler hopes to hear name in NFL draft

If Colin Schooler can accomplish his goal and make the NFL, he’ll have a decision to make.

Which school should he represent on national TV? How will the pregame introductions go?

“Colin Schooler, linebacker …”

Texas Tech? Arizona?

“I’ll probably just say my high school,” Schooler said. “It would be tough for me to say one school and not the other. There’s no way I could make anyone happy,”

“But shoot, I went to three high schools, so which one do I say? I’ll say Mission Viejo High School.”

Schooler has been on the move for the majority of his football-playing career.

Before finishing his last two seasons at Mission Viejo, he prepped at Dana Hills High School and Trabuco Hills High School.

And following three seasons at the UA, Schooler transferred to Texas Tech.

As he prepares for the NFL draft, which takes place Thursday through Saturday, Schooler says he doesn’t have any regrets. It’s part of who he is.

“Looking back on it, I wouldn’t change anything just because I wouldn’t be here today without it,” he said. “I don’t think I’d be the same player as I am without it.”

Arizona accomplishments

Schooler enrolled at the UA in 2017 as a three-star recruit. It didn’t take long for him to see the field.

Schooler was starting at “Mike” linebacker by Week 5. He finished the season with 96 tackles, second-most on the team behind fellow newcomer Tony Fields’ 104.

For three seasons, Schooler and Fields were the heart of Arizona’s defense.

The linebackers combined to make 600 tackles. The two remained close after transferring to new schools in 2020. Fields, who went to West Virginia, was a fifth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns last year.

“Were always close during our time at Arizona,” Schooler said. “Ever since we left, we always stayed in close contact.”