Mr. Brent Schaeffer

[Bobcat99]

The news article said that was a stipulation required by Fulmer for BS to get the release - not to a school that UT plays during his remaining years of eligibility (2005 - 2008).

That's interesting. I didn't see that part. We don't have a lot of transfers at Ohio in football so I'm not familiar with that policy. I know that in basketball, players transfer among different schools in the same conference all the time.

[flipflop4900]

Your right there, Grothe is not going anywhere!!  As I have said it does not matter who you bring here to compete! Hell Grothe knew he wanted to be a BULL when they where recruiting BS and now MG is here!! his 1st choice!! got to go eat dinner!! I think we are having left overs!!!

[Brad]

If MG has half the fire FF does, USF will be A-OK.

[flipflop4900]

If MG has half the fire FF does, USF will be A-OK.

you know its all in fun. I trust JL and whatever he does with BS. I really think BS is looking at all the QB's we have, could be a turn off to him. but heck what do I know I am just a HS coach !!!

[bullzpen4636]

schaeffer could also leave early, gotta keep that in mind as well

[MikeG]

My take....

Seems to me like this AD all over again. Not so much in what went down-- but how the coaching staff has villified the player.

He's a great kid until he no longer does the head coaches bidding and then all of sudden he is a cancer on the team. And the unseemly payoffs that I wouldn't doubt occur far more frequently than we want to know about suddenly get publicly announced to help Saint Bobby maintain his image. Fulmer is having trouble with more than just BS -- he seems to be in constant spin zone.

The odd thing about this though-- is that USF for the most part does not divulge the reasons for a player going elsewhere if it is a private matter. No talk about scandals and the like. Some of the dirt gets picked up by the media-- and fans start rumors -- but for the most part, we run a clean program regardless of what the circumstance. We also work hard to help our guys out, or at least it seems that way to me-- provided they want that advice.

So next time you scratch your head wondering why USF brass isn't telling us more about a particular player leaving-- consider the general tone that sets to the whole organization and to that individual. Personally- I think Brian Fisher got beat to death on so many issues that were more or less PRIVATE matters we shouldn't be digging around in. I respect peoples rights to privacy and regardless of the public nature of certain records, I don't see much value to exposing people or putting negative spins on them like what was done with BS or AD and to a certain extent BF.

Should we look into BS at USF? Sure-- as long as he understands the expectation levels we have at USF and abides by them. Should we have done the same for AD? Hard to say-- since they are different people who have different influences impacting them (as far as I can tell).

PS-- Sorry to drudge up the BF situation - let's not get off on that dead horse tangent.

[The_Reaper]

But... good comparison and points Mike!!!

[Velcro]

Very true... although AD was clearly in the wrong, a big part of the blame should have been to the boosters and athletic dept who threw AD under the truck the moment they realized they might be caught for recruiting violations ("here Adrian, here is a blank check, wink wink... its on my desk... i didn't see you take it.")

Schaeffer didn't "steal" money from a booster... he got in a fight protecting his girlfriend...  as far as i'm concerned, that is NOBLE!  I'd do the exact same thing.  There was mention in one article that he picked up a baseball bat... but didn't hit anyone with it.  I'd do the same thing... if you have a bat, people tend to back off.   And those that have met me know i'm very mild mannered.  

[Knight_Dive]

A point not brought up often is who that check was taken from.  The "stolen check" was from the company owned by the Son of the head of the FSU national boosters.  

I smell cover up.

[Papa_Bull]

I vaguely remembered that Brett's mom was a teacher and that he was looking to get into a graphic art program at USF. I thought he was a good student. I can't find that particular article concerning his visit to USF, but I did find this one which is interesting:

Posted on Wed, Aug. 27, 2003

Long flight home

After chasing empty dreams at two area football powers, Deerfield Beach quarterback Brent Schaeffer is poised to take his neighborhood school to new heights

BY GEORGE RICHARDS

grichards@herald.com

When Brent Schaeffer walked the halls of Deerfield Beach High on his first day of classes, he knew he finally got it right.

Deerfield Beach was home.

Now a senior, who is considered one of the top prep quarterbacks in the nation, Schaeffer spent parts of his freshman and sophomore years scrambling between traditional powers St. Thomas Aquinas and Dillard.

He finally found peace right outside his front door.

Unlike his previous stops, Schaeffer felt completely at ease at Deerfield Beach, his neighborhood school. He knew his peers, and they knew him. His first trip to the cafeteria was a reunion: handshakes, high-fives and hugs from friends he had known for years.

Friends he could call classmates -- and teammates --

once more.

''I'm very comfortable at Deerfield, it's my home,'' he says, beaming as brightly as the earrings dangling off his lobes. ``I knew everyone from the neighborhood and middle school and elementary school, so it was nice to come back. I was welcomed back as soon as I got here. People were happy I came back. I was happy I came back.''

After the season Schaeffer had last year -- 2,446 yards and 28 touchdowns in 12 games -- everyone in Deerfield Beach is happy the 6-2, 190-pound playmaker with the golden left arm returned home, too.

SEARCHING FOR HAPPINESS

Schaeffer left St. Thomas Aquinas as soon as football season ended during his freshman year in 2000-01.

He didn't play for the Raiders and seemed disenchanted with the notion he likely wouldn't take snaps for the varsity until he was a junior.

''Our main goal in life is for our kids to be happy,'' said Adolph Lewis, Brent's stepfather. ``When he realized he wasn't going to get a chance, he was not happy. You could see it in his eyes every day.''

Aquinas coach George Smith says Schaeffer wasn't in his program long enough to make a determination about his future with the Raiders, but he has seen plenty of him since.

''He really is a great player, and I think he is probably the best athlete in the county,'' Smith said. ``He's also a great kid who just happens to be one of the top quarterbacks in the country. He's one heck of an athlete.''

Schaeffer, an agile quarterback with traditional dropback skills, participated in spring drills with the Dillard varsity during his freshman year.

That summer, coach Joe Redmond resigned to become the athletic director at Deerfield Beach. Schaeffer says he wanted to follow suit.

Chandra Schaeffer, Brent's mom and a third-grade teacher at Quiet Waters Elementary, put a stop to that.

''She wanted me to stay at Dillard,'' Brent says, ``so I did.''

Not playing high school ball as a freshman might have slowed Schaeffer, Redmond says, but his talent demanded attention.

''He was a player, but he is so much different now,'' said Redmond, now head coach of the Bucks. ``He was just a raw young boy when he started with us at Dillard. Even the ball was too big for him. Now, he just makes things happen.''

QB CONTROVERSY

Oliver Bozeman opened the 2001 season as Dillard's starting quarterback, but the Panthers gave Schaeffer the ball for a midseason game against state power Glades Central.

In front of a crowd of 15,000 and a live statewide television audience, Schaeffer struggled, getting sacked four times and completing only seven passes for 63 yards in the Panthers' 27-6 loss.

Many in Schaeffer's family believe he was thrown into that game as the fall guy, one set up to fail.

''I didn't like that too much,'' his mother says. ``He really had not played all year. Then they throw him into a situation like that? There was so much community pressure and it was such a big game. It wasn't good.''

A few days later, Schaeffer started in a Monday makeup game against McArthur. With 1:09 left, he tossed a 12-yard touchdown pass for an 8-6 win.

When Dillard reached the playoffs, however, Schaeffer returned to the bench. Bozeman, then a junior, led the Panthers to the state semifinals. Schaeffer knew it was time to go.

Again.

''There was a lot of back and forth between coaches and the players on who should play,'' said Schaeffer, who says he and Bozeman are friends. ``If I did good, everyone wanted me. If I messed up, everyone wanted Oliver. It wasn't handled well for either of us. I knew during the playoffs that I wasn't coming back. There was no reason to come back.''

Said Lewis: ``People said Brent shouldn't be playing because he wasn't a Dillard kid. It was tough on him, but he grew up. Everything that has been negative in his life, he has turned into a positive. These experiences have helped mold him.''

TEAM SCHAEFFER

As has his family, which has huddled around him whether he was playing youth ball in Pompano or Lauderdale Lakes, and at Dillard.

At any given practice at Deerfield Beach, there may be 10 relatives observing the action. On game night, Schaeffer Nation swells to more than 20, and includes his father, Sean, brothers David and Blaize, and sister Brionna.

''My family supports me every day no matter what we are doing,'' Schaeffer said.

``Growing up and playing little league football, I saw the kids whose parents didn't care what they were doing. I felt bad for them.''

Schaeffer never had to worry about that, and his family wants to make sure his cur rent teammates don't, either.

Their home, within walking distance of the school off Dixie Highway, serves as a neighborhood hangout, a place players go between practices to relax.

Schaeffer's family invites the chaos.

''We have four kids officially,'' Lewis said, ``but you might as well make it 44. We have all of Brent's friends and teammates, our other kids and their friends. It's a summer camp around here, all the time.''

Said Redmond: ``This kid's family serves as a family for kids who may not have any family support. This isn't always about Brent. They are there for everyone. Those kids respect that.''

ERASING THE DOUBT

Schaeffer is fascinated with art and spends free time working on his computer at home.

On one wall of his bedroom, he designed a Deerfield Beach mural with a football zipping through the sky. Every night, he looks at it before going to sleep.

And he closes his eyes thinking of one thing: winning it all.

''I would love to be the first quarterback to lead Deerfield to a state championship,'' he said. ``That is my goal. I don't care about stats, none of that. As long as we win states, I'll be satisfied.''

A year ago, neighborhood rival Blanche Ely won its first state title, and Schaeffer said there is no reason to think the Bucks, who return 13 starters from an 8-4 squad, can't follow suit.

''Last year a lot of our players didn't have a lot of game experience,'' Schaeffer said. ``Our first game of the season was the first game many of them had played in. Now, we have all that back, and they have all been working out. This is going to be a good year.''

Not that last year wasn't. The highlight came on Nov. 1 when Deerfield ended Ely's bid at a perfect season with a 17-14 upset.

Schaeffer, as usual, led the way, perfectly executing a turnover-free effort and throwing for one touchdown.

''He came in here last year kind of an unknown,'' Redmond says, ``but our players know exactly what he can do now. The fact that he is here, with us, our kids feel they have a better than average chance to do something. He's proven himself to be something special here.''

A STAR EMERGES

The victory over Ely punctuated a breakout junior season and quieted those who questioned Schaeffer's toughness after leaving Dillard so soon -- he transferred to Deerfield Beach in January of his sophomore year.

True, Bozeman passed for 2,373 yards, the second-highest regular season total in county history and edged Schaeffer as The Herald's All-Broward quarterback last season. But Schaeffer also blossomed in his first year as a starter to bolt to the top of this season's area prospect watch.

Oklahoma, Michigan, Notre Dame, Iowa, Virginia Tech and North Carolina State are among the more than 20 renowned programs hoping to land Schaeffer on National Signing Day next February.

Academics will not be an issue. Schaeffer already has qualified and holds a 3.0 grade point average.

''I'm proud of the everything he has done -- the whole package,'' Chandra Schaeffer said. ``He has turned out to be quite a young man. He's smart and can do anything he wants. He could have a 4.0, and I know he is capable of that. If he applied himself, yes, he could.''

Schaeffer's not leaning toward one particular school, and says all the recruiting talk can wait.

All Schaeffer is looking forward to is this season.

And leading his hometown team to the promised land.

''It's good to be back home,'' Schaeffer says with a smile. ``It feels good.''

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/special_packages/football_preview/browpreps/6620960.htm