HONOLULU — In the summer of 2017, a young Gavin Schoenwald publicly announced that he intended to play football at Vanderbilt University.
It was a newsworthy announcement for the Nashville community, given that Schoenwald was a Brentwood Academy star who had made headlines for years for his performance on the football field and basketball court.
In the ensuing years, however, Schoenwald hasn’t been too heavily involved in the statistical production of the Vanderbilt offense. In fact, the 6-foot-4, 246-pound tight end hadn’t caught a pass or scored a touchdown until the 2021 season.
As he and the Commodores have prepared this week in Honolulu to face Hawai’i (9:30 p.m. CT Saturday), Schoenwald is champing at the bit to have a breakout 2022. He’s in a new position, he’s been voted a team captain and he’s returning for his final season to leave a stamp on the program he has come to love.
“To (head) coach (Clark) Lea and his administration, I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t believe in what he preaches,” Schoenwald said. “And I love playing for coach (Justin) Lustig. The way I have developed as a player over the 18 months that he’s been here has quadrupled the three years previous. I owe a lot to him. I’ve been able to not only understand the game, but play the game.
“I believe in this program and what we can do. That’s why I’m just so eager for Hawai’i.”
Surrounded by Talent
Schoenwald loves to tell the story that as he watched the 2019 NBA Draft unfold, he realized that he had played with or competed against eight of the first 12 overall selections, including good friend and former Brentwood Academy teammate Darius Garland.
Schoenwald, who starred alongside Garland at Brentwood and traveled the country on the prominent AAU circuit, loved playing basketball as much as he did football.
As he got older, though, Schoenwald realized that his skill level on the court wasn’t quite as high as some of his peers. He began to shift his focus toward the football field.
“When I stopped growing and everyone else around me got to be, like, 6-10, 6-11, 6-9, I realized football was what I really wanted to do,” Schoenwald said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh I’m not tall enough,’ but truly I would be playing football in the backyard instead of pick-up (basketball). I think I always preferred football over basketball, even though growing up I actually was probably better at basketball.
“I was playing as a freshman at Brentwood Academy, which, at the time, was rare. I think that experience and my summer going into sophomore year, when I started getting some scholarship offers, is when I realized, ‘You know what, this is the route of my future.’ ”
At Brentwood Academy, Schoenwald made waves as a wide receiver, tight end and backup quarterback. As a senior, he took over as the No. 1 signal caller and threw for more than 1,500 yards, connecting on 19 touchdown passes and rushing for 482 yards and six scores.
The Eagles won back-to-back state championships during Schoenwald’s junior and senior seasons. His recruiting profile rose along the way, and he was considered one of Tennessee’s top 20 players in the 2018 signing class.
If that wasn’t impressive enough, Schoenwald helped Brentwood Academy to three consecutive state championships in basketball as well.
Family, Vandy Over Everything
Schoenwald was born in Dallas, spent a couple years in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then arrived in Nashville when his father was working to further his career in the faith-based publishing business.
Older brother Brock Schoenwald set a lofty academic example by enrolling at North Carolina, where he had been awarded the Robertson scholarship. Younger sister Blair Schoenwald was becoming a basketball star in her own right and is now a part of the Belmont Bruins program.
That trio, along with Schoenwald’s mom, are constantly in the middle child’s thoughts. During preseason practice, as the Commodores were asked to keep a daily journal, Schoenwald went back to the refrain of being thankful for his health and for his supportive family.
“I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting recently on that—not only how I got here, but how I stayed here and thrived here instead of just surviving through my Vanderbilt experience,” Schoenwald said. “I’ve tried to take everything out of this that I can, and that’s been through my core, my rock and my family. But also aunts, uncles, former coaches, friends—I feel a lot of love and a lot of support from people.”
After earning an undergraduate degree in human and organizational development, Schoenwald is working toward a master’s degree in marketing. He never thought he would hold two Vandy degrees after growing up a merely casual fan of the school’s athletics: He’d happened to be at Shan Foster’s legendary senior night performance in Memorial Gymnasium. He’d attended a handful of notable Vanderbilt football games in the 2010s. He’d always been aware of the prowess of the Commodores’ baseball team.
These past several years on campus, however, have turned Schoenwald into the biggest of Vanderbilt fans.
“I’m really proud of this place, I’m really proud of what Vanderbilt is and how unique it is compared with its peers,” he said. “Vanderbilt student-athletes and Vanderbilt fans are unique. I think we all chose to come here as student-athletes because we believe in a vision for this university and this athletic department. I know a lot of our fans share the same.
“Just being able to stay here in Nashville and play for Nashville’s university has been really cool. I can’t emphasize enough how much I believe in and see the future of, obviously, our program in football. There is no better feeling than when Memorial is rocking. There is no better feeling than when our baseball team is top five in the country and an SEC team comes in here and gets smoked. That’s the standard of what our athletic department can be. I truly believe that, and for the people that believe that with me—I’ll lock arms with them any day.”
The New Schoenwald
Schoenwald officially became a Commodore in the summer of 2018 and was thrust into the tight end position. He welcomed the transition with an open mind, believing it gave him the best chance to make an impact over the course of his career.
For the most part, Schoenwald served as a blocking tight end. It’s a vital role, but it’s not one that moves the needle one like he had been used to as a high school star. In 2021, in Lea’s first season at the helm, Schoenwald made his first career reception against Stanford. He ended the campaign with four grabs for 42 yards and finally found the end zone with a 4-yard scoring grab against Missouri.
Over the course of the offseason, Schoenwald, Lea and Lustig have worked to transform Schoenwald into a player his teammates and his college football peers haven’t seen before. He’s now officially listed as an “F” on the Week 1 depth chart, a position that allows Schoenwald to line up as a tight end or split wide as a slot receiver.
“He’s just a master of all trades. That comes from his natural abilities, that comes from playing a bunch of sports growing up—but it also comes with experience,” Lustig said. “So versatility, knowledge of the game, experience with situations, experience with different offenses—that all is coming together for him.
“He probably is one of the guys on the team that has taken the most strides since we’ve been here. It’s always, as a coach, one of the most rewarding things to see a guy progress like that. I’m excited for him.”
Schoenwald admitted he had thoughts of playing the 2022 season elsewhere. After a winless 2020 season and a coaching change, coupled with seeing a best friend and former Vandy wide receiver Cam Johnson transfer out at the end of the ’21 slate, Schoenwald admits he had long discussions with family about what his future might hold.
Ultimately, his belief in Lea and Lustig and Vanderbilt Athletics as a whole, along with the chance to remain close to family, convinced Schoenwald he had unfinished business in black and gold. That decision paid dividends before the 2022 season even began—the fifth-year senior was voted one of eight team captains at the end of preseason practice.
“This game has taken me a long way. I’ve met some incredible people. It has taught me countless things about myself and how to prepare for life ahead,” Schoenwald said. “The only appropriate thing is to go as hard as I can each day—not really so much for myself but for the boys. The best way I can serve this team is in that leadership role. The only way to do that is by bringing it every day.”
Vanderbilt and Hawai’i kick off the 2022 season at 9:30 p.m. CT Saturday, and Schoenwald will take the field looking to set the tone for the year to come. It will be the last season-opener for the now-integral part of the Vandy attack—and the beginning of what could be a special season.
Schoenwald couldn’t be any more ready to show out.
“I’m having some gratitude, for sure. I’ve been doing some reflecting. I definitely pace the field sometimes when it’s empty, just thinking about all the experiences I’ve had out here,” Schoenwald said. “But I also know now I’ve got to be at the best every day for the team to be at their best.”
— Chad Bishop covers Vanderbilt Athletics for VUCommodores.com.
Follow him @MrChadBishop.
