Adam Schobel can say something other football players can’t. He’s the nephew of the guy that has the most sacks on Tom Brady in NFL history.

That’s right. The DCTF four-star from Columbus High School is the nephew of Aaron Schobel, who played nine years with the Buffalo Bills where he was a second-team All-Pro and sacked Brady 12 times, one more than Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor.

Football runs deep in the Schobel bloodline. Adam’s dad, Matt, played for Columbus and TCU, and then played for the Cincinnati Bengals for four years and the Philadelphia Eagles for three.

“Aaron was pretty good, which is pretty cool,” Adam said. “My dad and Aaron are actually on the coaching staff at Columbus, so they push me everyday. What they accomplished definitely motivates me to strive to do what they did, but it also gives me hope to do what they’ve done. They’ve gone through that path and know what it takes and them being in my corner definitely helps.”

Adam, though, isn’t the one chasing quarterbacks. He’s the one trying to avoid getting sacked. So far, so good. He’s ranked as the No. 2 quarterback and No. 39 overall player in the Class of 2025, according to TexasFootball.com.

“Quarterback is what I’ve always wanted to play,” Schobel said. “I’m not sure I could play anything else.”

Schobel verbally committed to play for Dave Aranda and the Baylor Bears last July, but he still holds offers from Houston, Oklahoma State, Sam Houston State, Texas State, and UTSA.

Adam’s playing days started when he was young. He started playing football when he was in sixth grade. He grew up in Columbus and went to St. Anthony’s Catholic School, and he ended up starting at Columbus High School as a freshman.

During his freshman campaign, he was named the District 12-3A-1 Newcomer of the Year after throwing for 2,440 yards and 28 touchdowns. Although he played well throughout the year, the way the season ended was tough but taught him some early career lessons.

“We got to the third round and played against Lorena,” Schobel said. “I threw like five interceptions and we got beat by 50. It was bad, but it taught me to face adversity and motivated me in the offseason to make sure that wouldn’t happen again.”

He always dreamed of playing at the next level since his family has done it, but Schobel said it wasn’t until his sophomore year when he threw for 2,800 yards with a 36-4 TD-INT ratio that he realized how good he was compared to other players in the country. 

Although he’s had a great high school career, he knows that playing quarterback isn’t easy. Schobel said the biggest challenge of the position is not knowing where defenders will be. Teams do well at rotating and spinning guys in coverage, so making the right read in the face of a pass rush can be tough at times.

“It’s not playing catch in the backyard,” Schobel said. “The guys coming at you are pretty big and they’re coming at you pretty fast. Having to sit in the pocket and make a throw isn’t easy. I’ve been fortunate to have a good offensive line in high school, so they’ve made it a bit easier on me.”

Football has also taught and brought Adam many things off the field. He said it taught him to be a part of something bigger than himself. He’s had to learn to be a part of a team, he’s developed life-long friendships, and the game has brought him closer to his dad.

“If I go out and throw for 500 yards and six touchdowns and we lose, it doesn’t matter,” Schobel said. “It’s honestly a good thing and most kids if they have the opportunity to play a team-sport, it can really help their future.”

His advice for other players is to pour everything they have into it and to enjoy the moment and not worry about what happens next. He said high school goes by quickly. He remembers what he wore on his first day of high school and all of the sudden he’s about to be a senior. 

“Early on I was too worried about playing at the next level,” Schobel said. “Just enjoy it; you’re playing with your friends you grew up with your whole life and it’s a lot of fun. Don’t worry about what’s going to happen after high school playing-wise.”

For Adam, he understands how hard it is to get to the NFL like his dad and uncle. But he still wants to follow in his family’s footsteps one way or another.

“I want to be a coach,” Schobel said. “At the college or high school level, wherever that might be, it’s definitely what I’ll be doing.”