Kyle Schumann worked so hard at becoming a better football player, he got too good for his position.
Luckily, he found one that he was even better in.
Schumann is a senior at Archbishop Ryan High School. He began his high school career at Washington when he attended Benjamin Rush. He was the starting quarterback, and as a freshman, he led the Eagles to an upset victory over Ryan on Thanksgiving.
After the game, he hit the weight room hard to prepare for sophomore year.
Then came the pandemic, shutting down everything. It was the end of his days playing quarterback.
“Honestly, I just started lifting a lot during COVID,” Schumann said. “I was blessed to have workout equipment in my garage, so every day I would go out and lift for hours and hours and hours. That’s really all I did during COVID. I would go to school with the online learning and lift. It changed everything.”
Schumann went from a skinny little quarterback to a jacked defensive player who can line up pretty much anywhere on the field. He mostly plays defensive end or outside linebacker, but is comfortable playing anywhere.
That’s what he did for the Raiders, and it’s exactly what the Morrell Park resident plans on doing next year when he plays football for the Rams.
He’s going to West Chester, and he’s not going alone. He’ll be joined by fellow Ryan stars Derm Murphy, a tight end, and Jack Ruskowski, an offensive linemen.
The school offers Schumann all the great things Ryan offers, and that’s why he’s going there.
“I checked it out my junior year because I knew people who went there and they really liked it,” said Schumann, who rushed for a touchdown on Thanksgiving in Ryan’s win over Washington. “They have a really good business program. I want to be my own boss, open up a gym, so I’m studying finance. I need to learn how to manage my money, the world runs on it so it’s good to know.
“I love their football program, too. I’m going in as an athlete, but they’re looking at putting me at strong safety or maybe outside linebacker. I’ll play outside the box, but not a deep guy. They run the similar defense at Ryan, so I’ll blitz a lot and I’m a fan of that.”
According to Schumann, he owes a lot to the Ryan program for making him the defensive player he is.
Schumann did play linebacker at Washington, but his primary job was to play quarterback. Since arriving at Ryan, he’s been focusing on defense.
It’s been a nice change, but it wasn’t easy at first.
“The good thing is playing linebacker on defense is a lot like playing quarterback on offense, you have to make the calls and make sure everyone knows what they’re doing,” Schumann said. “I was still going to play quarterback (at Ryan), but when I was younger, I started lifting. And I was getting so big, it wasn’t helping me play quarterback.
“I do miss playing quarterback, or I did. I love playing defense, though. This year, our coaches put me in position where the ball is. I love lowering the boom on people, they put me where the ball was going and I loved it. It’s like quarterback, you’re involved all the time.”
As much as Schumann improved on defense, his improvement in the weight room has been even better.
Schumann says he was a skinny kid, but after putting in plenty of time pushing up barbells and, thanks to his mom, two meals a day feature beef and rice. His dedication made him one of the stronger players in the Catholic League, and that will serve him well when he begins playing college football.
“I kind of started lifting for football, and then sophomore year and junior year, my genes kicked in and I got really really strong. I remember how excited I was when I first benched 100 pounds. Now I can put up about 355 pounds once. I’m squatting 585 pounds.
“I go to Giant Fitness six or seven times a week. I help friends out, give them free training, help them get into the gym. I’m in there, a lot of the old heads love me, they’re in there to help me. It’s a community.”
Schumann is a good weight training coach.
He’s also becoming a good basketball coach.
Schumann credits his family with making him the person he is. His mom is a huge part of his life, as is his grandfather. And while they’re pushing him to be the best he can be, he’s doing the same for his younger brother, Donovan Dolan.
“We’re really close, that’s my boy,” Schumann said. “He’s only 10 so I don’t know what he’ll do later, but I can’t see how (he won’t lift), he has a brother like me, so he’ll be strong. If he doesn’t, I’m going to make him! He’s just playing basketball now, seeing what he likes.
“He plays for the Academy Sabres and I help out as an assistant. It’s the first year they’re playing on the big nets. I love it. I love being around him.”
Next year, Schumann is looking forward to his family visiting him for big games at West Chester.
His family will also get to see his teammates from Ryan, as well as his best friend growing up, Max Boehmer, a senior at Franklin Towne Charter, who is going to play ice hockey for the Rams.
“He’s been my best friend since fifth grade, so I’m excited,” Schumann said. “I’ll have him, Derm and Jack. They’ve helped me get better in football, and they’ll be there for me now. Playing against guys like that, it makes games easy.
“West Chester was the perfect place, everyone I know who goes there loves it. I’m looking forward to getting there, learning and playing.”
