Los Gatos High School head coach Mark Krail joined Chris Schmidt on Hail Varsity Radio Friday afternoon to shed some light on the Huskers’ latest commit, outside linebacker Will Schweitzer. Schweitzer, who joined Nebraska’s 2021 recruiting class on Thursday, saw his recruitment take off last season.
“As a junior he played really, really well for us,” Krail told Hail Varsity Radio. “He plays tight end as well as linebacker. The kid's a long snapper too. He's not off the field very often. We played Will in the middle of our defense. We’re a 4-2-5 kind of scheme and we wanted Will in the middle of that defense so he could basically run sideline to sideline. We did that knowing that projecting out he's probably going to be more of that hybrid outside linebacker. I'm really excited for the whole process with Will.”
Schweitzer is the oldest of three boys and the recruiting process was all new for the family. It seemed like new offers and interest were coming in daily from college around the country. That included an offer from the Huskers. When Schweitzer told his coach that Nebraska was the pick two weeks ago, Krail said that he was surprised.
“The [Huskers] coaching staff did a great job with Will,” Krail said. “He never even been on campus or even to Lincoln so they did a great job there. I know Will's excited. The Cornhuskers are getting a great kid. He's a great player but he's an even better kid. He wants to please, he wants to lead, he wants to play hard. He's a beast in the weight room. We're just super excited for him and his future.”
Krail said that Schweitzer’s enthusiasm for the game makes him stand out. The phrase has been used a lot around Lincoln but he loves football. On the field, Schweitzer has the speed that really sets him apart from his peers.
“I think his one of his biggest assets is that speed that he plays,” Krail said. “He plays fast and physical and he's fearless. I think that that was a big part of the recruiting process for coaches that were watching his film because he doesn't take plays off and he plays super fast. I think that's one of the things that really jumps out with Will.”
Schweitzer started his high school varsity experience as a defensive end, which was his natural position. He did well with his hand in the dirt early on but he started manning the middle of the 4-2-5 defense last season. Some kids may have been hesitant about the move but Schweitzer took it in stride.
“We approached Will in the spring of his junior year and said, ‘Hey, we're thinking about playing you inside on the weak side. You can still you know, do some things in the run game and play sideline to sideline,’” Krail said. “In high school if you put a kid at a defensive end that’s a dominant player, teams are going to run the other way. They're going to check with me at the line and change the direction or whatever. This way we were able to utilize his athleticism in a way that we thought was beneficial for the team.”
A great student in the classroom, Krail also describes Schweitzer as happy-go-lucky. However, he flips the switch when he enters the weight room or steps on the football field. He’s a leader that enjoys celebrating his teammates’ success as much as his own.
“All the boxes are checked with Will. There's nothing hidden,” Krail said. “You're getting a great kid that's going to play hard. He's going to work hard in the classroom and never going to be an issue off the field. I'm happy for Coach Frost and the Huskers.”
You can listen to the full interview here.