Jacob Schum (born January 21, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Buffalo Bulls. Schum was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He was also a member of the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Vipers, and DC Defenders.
Early life Schum was born to Alan, a Hamburg, New York police officer, and Charlene Schum. Schum played football as a wide receiver and punter at Frontier High School in Hamburg.
College career Failing to attract the attention of any Division I college football programs, Schum committed to play for the Buffalo State Bengals. After one season, Schum attempted to transfer to the University at Buffalo but the Buffalo Bulls football coaches spurned his advances. Schum continued attending Buffalo State but withdrew from the football team, opting instead to focus on training.
Before his junior year, Schum transferred to Buffalo and walked on to the football team where he was only used as a wide receiver on the scout team under Turner Gill. In 2010, under new head coach Jeff Quinn, Schum was granted a tryout at punter and was named the team's starter in each of his final two years of athletic eligibility. He was eventually awarded a scholarship.
Professional career Cleveland Browns After going undrafted in the 2012 NFL draft, Schum spent a year working odd jobs. He was selling gym memberships for the Buffalo Athletic Club in the spring of 2013 when he got a call from the Cleveland Browns, who had taken an interest in Schum at an NFL regional combine. He signed with the Cleveland Browns on March 28, 2013. On May 13, 2013, he was waived by the Browns.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (first stint) On January 6, 2014, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Schum to a reserve/future contract. He was waived by the Buccaneers on May 21, 2014.
New York Jets (first stint) Schum was signed by the New York Jets on June 19, 2014 to compete with incumbent Ryan Quigley in training camp. He was released on August 23, 2014.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second stint) The Buccaneers signed Schum to their practice squad on November 14, 2014, but was waived four days later.
New York Jets (second stint) The Jets signed Schum to a reserve/future contract on December 30, 2014. He was released on August 18, 2015.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (third stint)
On August 26, 2015, the Buccaneers signed Schum to compete with Karl Schmitz and Michael Koenen. By September 1, Schum was the last remaining punter on the Buccaneers roster after roster cuts. Schum made his NFL debut with four punts in a game against the Tennessee Titans in September 2015, nearly four years after his final college game. On August 28, 2016, Schum was waived by the Buccaneers.
Green Bay Packers Schum was claimed off waivers by the Green Bay Packers on August 30, 2016. He re-signed with the Packers on March 8, 2017. On June 1, 2017, he was released by the Packers.
Tampa Bay Vipers In October 2019, Schum was put on the 2020 XFL draft pool and was selected by the Tampa Bay Vipers in the open rounds. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.
DC Defenders On November 18, 2022, Schum was selected by the DC Defenders of the XFL. He was released on January 21, 2023.
Career statistics
NFL Year Team GP Punting Punts Yds Lng Avg Net Avg Blk Ins20 TB Ret RetY TD 2015 TB 16 56 2,348 60 41.9 38.0 0 15 4 27 140 0 2016 GB 16 56 2,420 65 43.2 39.1 0 19 4 16 151 0Total 32 112 4,768 65 42.6 38.5 0 34 8 43 291 0Source: NFL.com
College Year Team GP Punting Punts Yds Lng Avg In 20 2007 BUF ST. 10 59 2,058 55 34.9 10 2009 BUF Did not play 2010 BUF 12 58 2,231 62 38.5 13 2011 BUF 12 61 2,369 61 38.8 11Total 34 178 6,658 62 37.4 34
References
External links
Buffalo Bulls bio