After a remarkable playing career at Northwestern that saw him go from walk-on to starting running back, Jacob Schmidt was hired as NU's Director of Player Development in March of 2012.
In his role, Schmidt coordinates various aspects of players' off-the-field experience at Northwestern, including NU's Big Brother program that matches current Wildcats with NU football alums in the professional world.
A native of Rhinelander, Wis., Schmidt arrived at NU as a walk-on in 2007, redshirting in his initial year on campus before playing in all 13 games on special teams in 2008. He gained 217 yards on the ground and 147 yards receiving as a sophomore in 2009 and, in his junior campaign, scored four rushing touchdowns despite being limited to eight games due to injury.
Schmidt earned the starting running back role as a senior in 2011 and finished as the team's second-leading rusher with 471 yards and six touchdowns. His stellar season featured a career-best 110-yard performance on 15 carries (7.3 yards per carry) with two touchdowns in a road win vs. Indiana.
Schmidt was a key contributor to what was then the winningest senior class in Northwestern football history, a group that won 36 games during its five years in Evanston and led the Wildcats to a school-record four consecutive bowl game appearances.
A Capital One second-team All-American in 2011, Schmidt completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern with a degree in human development and psychological services and earned a master's in higher education administration and policy from NU in 2014.