For Windsor’s Deacon Schmitt, It’s All In The Name

“Deacon Schmitt” is – purely and simply – a football name.

The name hearkens back memories of Hall of Fame NFL defensive end Deacon Jones, widely considered one of the greatest defensive football players ever. Mean and smart on the field but thoughtful and socially aware off of it, Jones’ name created a cognitive dissonance that somehow accurately encapsulated his persona.

Schmitt, a senior offensive lineman at Windsor High School and future Oklahoma Sooner, carries a strikingly similar aura. It’s almost like his parents knew what the name “Deacon” would bring.

“You know, I wish I could tell people that that’s where it came from,” Schmitt said of his first name in relation to Jones. The real story isn’t exactly as exciting – his mom found the name in a magazine article about Reese Witherspoon that mentioned her son, Deacon – but it does have a loose connection.

“It was Deacon and two other names, and (Schmitt’s mom) told my dad he could pick,” Schmitt said. “I guess he did think of Deacon Jones when he heard Deacon, but Reese Witherspoon’s son was the original source.”

The name choice was fortuitous, to say the least.

Like Jones before him, Schmitt’s combination of strength and smarts has set him apart on the field. At 6 feet, 6 inches tall and 320 lbs., Schmitt’s massive frame towers above opponents. It’s what he’s able to do with that frame, though, that gives him an edge.

“I would say my strongest aspect of my game is my physicality,” Schmitt offered, but it’s not just brute strength he’s referring to.

“I think sometimes people have the physical ability but they just don’t have the drive,” he said. “I think my physicality sets me apart from others because I’m wired differently. I feel like I go out there and I’m in a different space when I’m on the field.”

In a few words, as the kids might say, Schmitt’s got that “dawg” in him.

While size has always been on his side, incremental improvements to Schmitt’s game during his time at Windsor – in tandem with the inner drive to physically dominate opponents and the maturation process in general – have unleashed a complete beast on the offensive line. His size has landed him at the tackle position, but his ability could translate to the guard position at the next level, if necessary.

Schmitt’s coach at Windsor, Chris Jones, has thoroughly enjoyed watching his development process up close.

“You can imagine a traditional sponge in your kitchen with those little wormholes in there,” Coach Jones said, describing Schmitt as a freshman. “He came in as that sponge with all these open holes. Now as he gets closer to being done, all those holes are being filled with different character traits and memories and moments. His sponge is really coming close to full.”

You can’t have many holes in your game if you want to become a four-star recruit, and that’s what Schmitt has done. Because it’s hard to tell the story of an offensive lineman with statistics, this list should work: Alabama, Washington, Colorado, Florida, USC, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Kansas, Tennessee, Stanford, Kansas State, Utah, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, California, Colorado State, Washington State.

You’ve probably already recognized that said list was Schmitt’s menu of options for where to spend the next leg of his football journey. You’ve probably also recognized that many of the options on that menu are college football giants.

After narrowing his options to Alabama, Colorado and Oklahoma, Schmitt decided in late June that his journey would land him in Norman with Coach Brent Venables and the Sooners.

“Everything kind of lined up with Oklahoma,” Schmitt said of his commitment. “I’ll say that I never had a bad experience with a school. You have to say no to all of them except for one. You have to do your homework, and everything just lined up with Oklahoma.”

Schmitt also cited similarities between the coaching staff at Oklahoma and his current coaches at Windsor as the “cherry on top.” With a mentor like Bill Bedenbaugh, the offensive line coach for the Sooners, Schmitt is sure to get top-notch coaching in Norman like he has in Windsor.

Though his college future is in good hands, there’s still plenty in store for Schmitt’s senior season at Windsor. For now, he’s focused on leading 6-0 Windsor (1-0, 3A North 2 League) to a deep run in the CHSAA 3A playoffs.

“I’m here,” he said simply. “I’m in the present. You’ve got to live in the present and focus on the task at hand. You’re only as good as tonight’s practice, we always say.”

And Schmitt is pretty darn good. To characterize how he ranks among the many college products Coach Jones has seen in his 37-year coaching career, Jones offered a response you won’t hear from many coaches.

“He’s definitely in the top three standard deviations,” Jones, who doubles as Schmitt’s AP stats teacher, joked. The two spend a lot of time together during the season, and it’s clear they have a close relationship defined by mutual respect – a relationship comfortable enough for a joke or two.

With a crimson and cream future to look forward to, it’d be easy for Schmitt to lose focus. Coach Jones, however, has been that steady rock to keep him grounded. It’s Jones’ constant overture about the “next game up” that has taught Schmitt to stay grounded, humble, and hungry to keep filling the few holes left in that sponge.

After being named a captain for the league portion of Windsor’s schedule, Schmitt is filling in another hole in the sponge: leadership. While servant leadership has always been an outstanding aspect of his character, it’s now officially symbolized in captaincy.

“Whenever we have a community service opportunity, he’s the first to get back to me,” Coach Jones said. “Last spring, we had a brand new custodian who had to move spur of the moment. I put it out to a couple guys, and they took care of it like that. Later on, someone reached out to me and said a special education teacher knew another family that needed to be moved. I sent it out, and Deac just shows up and goes there.”

Now the title is official, but it’s clear that Schmitt has been acting like a captain for a while.

“I hope he embraces this opportunity to portray that (captain) image in the classroom, in the hallways, in the weight room, at practice, before the game, after the game, in the locker room, out in the community, with his family,” his coach said.

He knows Schmitt will rise to the occasion, because that’s what he always does. It starts with what Coach Jones sees as a natural bent toward blind integrity in his star offensive lineman.

“When nobody’s around watching, are you doing the right thing?” he offered rhetorically. “It comes natural for (Schmitt), because he doesn’t have to try.”

Whether it’s a battle in the trenches or an opportunity to serve his community, you can be sure to find Schmitt in the middle of it. The disarming archetype of the big, bruising football star with a streak for compassion off the field is reminiscent of that Hall of Fame defensive end with whom Schmitt shares a first name.

And if all goes according to plan, Schmitt hopes to share some of those on-the-field accolades, too.

“Getting to the NFL isn’t the end goal,” he said. “Having a successful career in the NFL is.”

As long as Schmitt keeps filling up that sponge, nobody will be surprised if that goal becomes reality.