Peninsula grad Hall Schmidt creating running lanes for Heisman candidate

The Boise State University football team has just cracked the nation’s top 25 college football rankings and features running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty, who is averaging a unbelievable 10.5 yards per carry.

But even a running back as great as Jeanty depends on offensive lineman to block and provide space to run. That’s where our local connection can be found in 6-foot-7, 310-pound offensive tackle Hall Schmidt.

When Schmidt was dominating and rag dolling opposing defensive lineman for the Peninsula Seahawks, it became apparent that he was a man among boys. As nice off the field as he was intense on it, Schmidt was the South Sound Conference lineman of the year in 2021 and was rated as the 26th-best college football prospect in the state when he graduated.

Hall Schmidt of Boise State blocks against Oregon on Sept. 7. Photo courtesy Hall Schmidt

Now he is a redshirt sophomore starter for the NCAA Division I Boise State Broncos. The bruising right tackle is gaining notoriety for his pancake blocks in front of Jeanty.

Jeanty has rushed for 586 yards on 56 carries with nine touchdowns in three games. That’s a whole season’s worth of statistics for some running backs. Schmidt and his fellow offensive lineman are a big reason he’s been so successful.

Nearly undefeated

Schmidt, who says he wanted to be a college football player since the age of 3, has steadily put himself in positions to succeed with hard work and perseverance. Now he is in somewhat of a national spotlight (to the extent a spotlight exists for linemen), blocking for a Heisman candidate.

Schmidt and the Broncos (2-1) were on national TV on Sept. 7, battling No. 8 Oregon at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. Boise lost a thriller by the score of 37-34, a game the Broncos could have just as easily won.

Jeanty rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns in that game and did most of his damage running behind Schmidt, who tossed around defenders like a bouncer in a night club.

Hall Schmidt

Schmidt could attract the attention of NFL scouts down the line. The fact that Jeanty will probably return next year will help Schmidt draw even more attention as he has the requisite size for an offensive tackle along with quick feet, long arms, strong hands and two and a half years of college football eligibility left.

But his best trait is that he is a hard worker who is never satisfied with just being good. Schmidt wants to be great and the coaches at Boise have noticed.

Big matchup in Boise

For right now all Schmidt wants to think about is Boise State’s marque matchup against the 4-0 Washington State Cougars. The Cougs invade the famed blue turf of Boise’s Albertsons Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, for a game that will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

Coincidentally, Gig Harbor alum Hudson Cedarland, who battled Schmidt in the 2021 Fish Bowl, is on the WSU roster. Cederland is a backup linebacker.

Recently I got a chance to talk to the personable Schmidt in between film and practice sessions at Boise State.

GHN: At Peninsula you were such a good athlete playing football, basketball and even a little goalie in lacrosse. You come from an athletic family. Tell me about your family’s athletic background if you could?

HS: My dad, Dr. Paul Schmidt, was a thrower at Western Washington University; My mother, Elesa, was a volleyball player at Central Washington University; my oldest brother JT played football at Peninsula and at the University of Puget Sound; my older brother Graham played football at Peninsula and at Valley City State (of North Dakota); my younger sister Cynthia was a cheerleader at Peninsula; and my youngest sister Leah is currently a 6-foot-1 sophomore on the Peninsula volleyball team.

GHN: You had a storied high school football career at Peninsula, can you tell me about a game or memory that stood out to you as a Seahawk?

HS: That would definitely be coming back from a 28-0 halftime deficit to win the Fish Bowl, 35-28 over Gig Harbor, my senior year. I got to pull (lead block on outside runs) a lot in the second half and we wouldn’t be denied. We came all the way back to win it, that was absolutely awesome.

GHN: What made Boise State stand out to you in the recruiting process?

HS: It really is a brotherhood and a family here, just on campus everybody is super-friendly. There are just a lot of great people here.

GHN: After redshirting, and then appearing in a few games last year, tell me about a few keys that have helped your climb to the starting right tackle position?

HS: I’d say it was just growing mentally and physically. The mental side was developed from just watching the older guys compete in games and in practices. I had a couple of older, standout lineman here to learn from and I watched how they communicated. Then physically, it’s just about trying to get in the weight room and training room as much as I possibly can to get my body healthy and strong.

GHN: I have seen where some of your coaches have said that they actually have to tell you to leave the weight room at night and go home and get sleep. Where do you think your work ethic and drive come from?

HS: Well there’s a couple of different reasons. Definitely from my family, we have always had a strong drive to compete, especially with my brothers and I feel like my parents raised me super well. And then the other parts is I’m doing it because someone else can’t and that’s Caleb Wanaka (a childhood friend and standout athlete at Peninsula who died in 2021). He can’t do anything right now, he’s in a better place right now … so I gotta do it for him.

GHN: Your team looks somewhat under-ranked at 25th in the country, especially after being only a special teams play away from beating eighth-ranked Oregon on the road. Is being a underdog a motivator for your team?

HS: Oh yeah, a big one. Obviously we’re pumped that we’re ranked now but it’s never enough, it’s never enough.

GHN: Watching the game tape of you so far, you seem pretty equally adept at run blocking and pass protection. Boise seems to be running the ball over your right side a lot. What’s your favorite call to hear in the huddle?

HS: Obviously it’s a running play, I like to melt peoples’ faces off. Any play where I get to drive block or to pull and get out in space is great, as that allows me to hit linebackers and defensive backs.

Hall Scmidt (No. 65) celebrates one of Ashton Jeanty’s (No. 2) nine touchdowns. Photo courtesy of Hall Schmidt

GHN: Blocking for a tailback like Jeanty, who is on a short list of Heisman candidates, is naturally going to bring attention to you and your offensive line. What’s it like playing with such a talented runner?

HS: He’s just incredible, I mean there are some plays when I don’t know if I did my job correctly or had the play ID’d right but he just makes a play. Sometimes we have no idea how he did it. He’s just awesome and this is exactly what I came here to do, it proves that I’m here for a reason.

GHN: Football can be a brutal game, but you have such a casual style and an easy smile off the field that is in contrast to someone whose job it is to dominate people. What do you do before a game that turns you from a nice guy into a destroyer?

HS: That’s a good question. Well, that starts in my pregame preparation. We do this thing called the “Bronco Walk” where we go from having our pregame meal and then afterwards we walk to the stadium. My ritual is to listen to Frank Sinatra pregame and I particularly like the song “That’s Life” so I listen to that for a while, then about 45 minutes before game time, I switch it up and start listening to Viking War Music. That kind of stuff really gets me fired up.

GHN: Recently Boise State has agreed to leave the Mountain West Conference and join the Pac-12 starting in 2026, your senior year. What are your thoughts about getting to play in the Pac-12?

HS: It’s awesome right … growing up in Washington that’s all I really knew about was Pac-12 football and now I am going to get to be a part of it, it will be a great feeling.

GHN: You have prototypical size for a NFL tackle, at 6-foot-7, 310 pounds and now are getting recognition nationally. If you also have a strong junior and senior year you may have a chance to play professionally on Sundays. What are your feelings about that?

HS: (Laughs) That has been my goal since I was probably 3 or 4 years and I would absolutely love it but that’s down the road. It’s about our team. I’m a team guy so whatever I can do to help our team now, is what I’m going to do.

Peninsula grad Hall Schidt is the starting right tackle for Boise State. Photo courtesy Hall Schmidt

GHN: So now you have Washington State coming in to your house and they’re undefeated. With the national college football playoffs expanding to twelve teams this year, it has to amplify the importance of this game for both programs. What are your thoughts on facing the Cougars on Saturday?

HS: I mean we need to win it. We’re on the blue (home field turf) in a great atmosphere. We need our fans engaged and we need to be fully locked in.

GHN: What are your strength numbers right now and with pro aspirations, offensive tackles must prove they can run. Have you been working on your speed as well?

HS: My squat was 475 pounds, bench press was 335 pounds and I power cleaned 315 pounds. I’ve definitely been working on my speed, we have GPS equipment at practice and the other day I ran 18.46 miles per hour. My best 40-yard time was 4.9 seconds.

GHN: What are you studying in college?

HS: My major is interdisciplinary studies with minors in communications and business plus I’d like to get a separate certification in sports coaching.

GHN: Last question Hall, for the younger readers in our town. What would you say to a 8 to 12 year old kid that isn’t going to be a quarterback or a wide receiver but instead wants to be a lineman like Hall Schmidt one day?

HS: I would say you’ll definitely have to work hard but be ready because you never know when your opportunity is going to strike. Seize that opportunity when it does come and always expect that you are going to play.