Stanford signee Thomas Schaffer becomes first Austrian-born player
While there was a lot of fanfare surrounding recruiting class and which programs signed the best group of individuals, Stanford might have had the most unique individual of all.
Defensive lineman Thomas Schaffer signed with the Cardinal and became the first Austrian to play in the FBS.
"I really hope you guys [the media] get to talk to Schaffer at some point," Stanford coach David Shaw said during his signing day event. "You’re going to see him, but you’re going to hear hear Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
Schaffer is 6-foot-7 and is actually one of two European signees from the 2016 class. The other is 6-foot-7 offensive lineman Devery Hamilton, who lived in Germany until he was 9.
Both players speak fluent German.
Schaffer grew up in Vienna but went to high school at Lake Forest Academy in Illinois. He was drawn there because his cousin, Felix Schildorfer, was a student there and shopped Schaffer's game film to the football coach. Scaffer played American football for an Austrian club at 13 and was so good, the club promoted him to its under-19 travel squad.
He played games all over Europe and made a trip to the United States in 2012 to play Team USA in Texas. During that trip, Schaffer stayed behind and visited the University of Texas. It solidified his dream of wanting to play major college football in the United States.
“After experiencing that and seeing their stadium, it was gigantic; after experiencing that and seeing what life is like in college and the campus and what football is like in America, I knew then that I just wanted it,” Schaffer told Bleacher Report. “I knew in my head that I want to do this.”
Schaffer came to the United States in August 2013 and by his senior year had amassed 20 FBS offers, including Oregon, Michigan State and Wisconsin.
Shaw said Stanford’s reputation for high academic standards is what sealed Schaffer’s commitment.
"Stanford is a special school," Shaw said. "People that he knew had parents who went to Stanford. … His family in Austria says, 'We know Stanford.'"
Schaffer told Bleacher Report that he hoped his transition American high school football and his recruitment will spur other international players to pursue their dreams of playing high-level American college football and he hopes coaches will keep open minds about international players.
“I want to open up the minds for coaches in college about international players,” Schaffer said. “It’s amazing that a kid like me (can) come from Austria and get 18 offers from some of the best programs in the country. I definitely want to be an inspiration for people in different countries in Europe. They can now believe that they can make it happen if they put enough work into it.”
For more Stanford news, visit CardinalSportsReport.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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