Schneider walks on and rises up
STILLWATER — Like many folks in the tiny town of Minco, Brock Wardlaw watches Oklahoma State football games a little differently than the usual Cowboy fan.
He typically enjoys the first three quarters just fine, but the fourth quarter is when his attention level spikes — particularly if the Cowboys have built a big lead.
That’s when Minco native Ry Schneider is most likely to get on the field.
“We’re always watching for him,” said Wardlaw, Minco High School's football coach. “He’s gotten late-game minutes last year and some this year as well.”
But in the middle of last week came the big news. Schneider — a redshirt sophomore walk-on from the Class A school located 20 minutes south of El Reno and 10 minutes west of Tuttle — was
going to start at center for the Cowboys in place of the injured Johnny Wilson.
“That’s something that was definitely talked about around town,” Wardlaw said. “And then, it was a great game and the Cowboys got a win.”
Schneider provided a realistic grade of his performance in the 45-41 upset of West Virginia. He felt it took him some time to get accustomed to the situation early, but he found his rhythm in the second half with one of the Big 12’s best nose guards, Kenny Bigelow, in his face virtually all day.
With only a couple of exceptions, Schneider’s shotgun snaps were placed well, and his blocking kept getting better as the game went on.
“He rose to the occasion,” offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said. “We didn’t miss a beat. I’m just tickled pink to see him execute.
“You’re happy for the young man, you’re happy for the team and all that. But it sets a great example for everyone else on the team that’s a backup. You better get your (butt) ready to go, because you never know what’s gonna happen.”
It’s unknown if Schneider will be back in the starting lineup when OSU visits TCU at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.
Wilson is working to return from his injury. But just like he has been for the last two seasons, Schneider will be ready if needed.
Even as a redshirt freshman last season, the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Schneider made the travel squad as a reserve at center and guard.
That, to the kid who used to dress as an OSU player for Halloween, was a sign he could compete at the Big 12 level, despite playing high school ball at a place that rarely faces a lineman with Division I talent, let alone produces such a player itself.
“I think I played against two or three Division I players my entire career,” Schneider said.
Schneider turned down several Division II offers to take a preferred walkon spot at OSU, trading in the Halloween costumes of his youth for the real gear.
“I had just about every Division II offer you could think of,” Schneider said, his thick, red beard hiding his baby-faced smile. “The support from my grandparents and my parents to tell me that they would help me through college really influenced me to come here and live out my dream.”
During high school, Schneider caught the OSU coaches’ attention by attending “just about every camp that they offered,” he said.
“To put on that OSU jersey — just to be able to travel and stuff like that — it meant a lot to me,” he said. “To actually go out there and be the starting center for Oklahoma State, it was surreal. It was awesome.”
Playing or not, Schneider knows his family, Wardlaw and the rest of his coaches, and dozens more in Minco will be watching on Saturday.
“I have a lot of support back at home,” Schneider said. “Everybody knows that I’ve worked hard and people were pretty proud of me. I just thank them for the support.”