Pats Pulpit
One of the most frustrating parts of the late Bill Belichick era was the New England Patriots’ uncharacteristic inconsistency on special teams. The addition of coordinator Jeremy Springer under Belichick’s successor, Jerod Mayo, was a step in the right direction (and one of Mayo’s best decisions).
But while Springer does deserve plenty of credit, he is not the only one responsible for the recent turnaround. The group’s on-field leader is as well, and he continues to set the tone in the kicking game entering 2026.
Name: Brenden Schooler
Position: Safety/Special teamer
Jersey number: 41
Opening day age: 29 (5/30/1997)
Measurements: 6’1 5/8”, 210 lbs, 8 1/2” hand size, 32 1/2” arm length, 78 7/8” wingspan, 4.43s 40-yard dash, 6.71s 3-cone drill, 4.10s short shuttle, 37 1/2” vertical jump, 10’8” broad jump, 16 bench press reps, 9.76 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: New England Patriots (2022-) | College: Oregon (2016-19), Arizona (2020), Texas (2020-21)
A South California native, Schooler repeatedly changed high schools before his senior year at Mission Viejo, CA. In 2016, he joined the University of Oregon as a two-star wide receiver recruit and went on to spend four seasons with the Ducks. Playing on both sides of the ball as well as on special teams, he appeared in 41 games.
Schooler entered the transfer portal in 2020 and committed to Arizona to team up with his brother Colin, but he left the school a short time later when the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the Pac-12 season. He moved to Texas, where he spent the final two seasons of his college career — the first one as a wideout, the second as a defensive back.
When Schooler made the move to the NFL in 2022, he did so with a combined 62 games and 31 starts on his résumé. He also had intercepted four passes, forced a fumble and caught 42 passes for 488 yards with four touchdowns.
Despite his versatility, experience and being recognized as a first-team All-Pac-12 special teamer twice (2017, 2018), Schooler did not hear his name called in the 2022 draft. He arrived in New England as a free agent shortly thereafter and quickly made a name for himself as an understudy to Matthew Slater, one of the greatest special teamers in pro football history.
Despite his lack of draft pedigree, he was thus able to become a core special teams presence for the Patriots. Nothing has changed ever since other than Schooler eventually succeeding Slater as the leader in the room and a team captain. In total, he has played 1,531 special teams snaps over his 70 NFL games while leading the team with 56 tackles and a pair of blocks since his arrival. In 2024, he signed a three-year, $9 million contract extension and was both named first-team All-Pro and voted to his first Pro Bowl that very same year.
Strengths: As a size-speed athlete, Schooler is the total package. Standing at just under...
