Patrick Henry offensive lineman Garrett Schwiebert remembers first getting recruiting interest from the University of Toledo coaching staff at the end of his junior season. After a visit to campus in March and a scholarship offer from the Rockets that followed, Schwiebert immediately knew it was the right fit.
Schwiebert made his commitment to Toledo official on Wednesday by signing his national letter of intent during the first day of the early signing period.
“Right away, I just fell in love with the place and the atmosphere there,” Schwiebert said. “Once they offered me it was almost like a no-brainer to commit there.”
Toledo coach Jason Candle raved about Schwiebert's athleticism and said he was excited to see him out on the basketball court for Patrick Henry this winter.
But what Candle loved the most was the drive and determination that he sees in the 6-foot-7, 250 pound offensive lineman.
“He's undersized for what a college lineman looks like from a weight perspective,” Candle said. “He's kind of that new age, new wave offensive lineman that is not 325 pounds in high school. He's a 245-260 pound body at best right now. He's a guy that has a lot of room for growth and the athleticism is there. What I really think is that there is a little bit of a killer instinct there and a real burning desire to work and to be great. When you have that ability and you have that mentality, I think you are always pressing towards some really good results in the end.”
Through his time at Patrick Henry, Schwiebert says he developed that killer instinct by being in an environment where he was encouraged to put the work in when no one was watching.
In doing so, Schwiebert continually improved each season and, by his senior season, he was the anchor of the offensive line on a team that reached the Division VII state semifinals.
“I was really fortunate to have a bunch of great coaches and great teammates that always pushed me in everything I did whether it was sports or school,” Schwiebert said. “Through that, I little-by-little just kept improving from a freshman that barely played JV to starting varsity as a sophomore to being all-league as a junior and then being fortunate enough to be selected as all-state as a senior.”
At Patrick Henry, Schwiebert learned from a legendary high school coach in Bill Inselmann.
“Coach I and the rest of the coaching staff, I don't think I would be where I am today without them,” Schwiebert said. “They are just great leaders in football and in life. The lessons that they taught me will carry on with me for as long as I live.”
Inselmann viewed Schwiebert as one of the leaders of a very successful Patrick Henry group this season.
“His footwork, balance, and flexibility are excellent for a big lineman,” Inselmann told The Blade for the all-Blade team article. “He is our leader on the offensive line and makes a lot of calls on both sides of the line of scrimmage. He is very smart in the classroom and on the field.”
As an offensive lineman, Schwiebert said he has always had a simple mentality during a game.
“My goal going into every game was with our running backs and quarterbacks, to keep their jerseys as clean as possible,” Schwiebert said. “We knew they were good enough, especially in the run game, that if we could move our guys off the line just a yard that they would bust a big one.”
Three other offensive linemen – Tanner Wigand, Vinny Sciury, and Jackson Stoefen – signed with Toledo along with Schwiebert on Wednesday.
“I know Tanner and I've talked to Vinny a few times and I can tell right away that those are guys that I will really be friends with in college because we are all kind of alike,” Schwiebert said. “It's kind of a linemen bond thing. We know we're not big, flashy guys. We are just quiet and hard-working and put our head down and if you give us an assignment, we will go after it.”
Coming from the small, rural Henry County village of Hamler, Schwiebert knows it will be a little bit of a transition coming to play for Toledo.
While about a 55-minute drive separates Patrick Henry High School from the University of Toledo, there is a big difference in the atmosphere that surrounds the two schools.
After signing his letter of intent to Toledo on Wednesday, Schwiebert is ready to to go from a town where you know everyone and share classmates from kindergarten until senior year to experiencing life in the big city, so to speak.
“It will definitely be a culture shock just growing up in rural Patrick Henry,” Schwiebert said. “I'm excited to go there and explore some new things. I'm excited to have everything in the palm of your hand.”
First Published December 20, 2019, 1:35 a.m.
