The Runaway Beer Truck has parked in Charmco.
After a few weeks of being courted by the Greenbrier West coaching staff, former WVU football legend Owen Schmitt was approved by the Greenbrier County Board of Education to join the West football team as an assistant coach.
For Schmitt, a fullback in his playing days, the move made sense but he’s not a complete stranger. He became familiar with the program by working with former West running back Noah Brown, a first-team all-state selection in 2019 and 2020. It was also an opportunity for him to pursue a passion he’s had for awhile.
“I’ve kind of wanted to get back into it for awhile now,” Schmitt said. “I worked with (Brown) last year and just, I don’t really know. Through some friends we met up and it just kind of worked from there. I’ve wanted to get into it and it’s a slow process. I still have a full-time job with UPS, so I get to watch a lot of Hudl film and kind of get familiar and learn the playbook. It’s pretty similar to what we did at West Virginia some. It’s just kind of fun getting back into it, ya know what I mean? I’ve always wanted to coach. When football was over for me for a minute, I just kind of needed a break, so being able to watch football for the last couple of years it just kind of made me miss it.”
As Schmitt noted, there are similarities between the Cavs’ offense and the WVU ones that he played in under Rich Rodriguez. But at the end of the day smash-mouth football is the preferred style in Charmco. That meshes well with a guy that was known for breaking the facemasks of the guys in front of him.
“I mean, as far as their offense goes, it’s obviously something that’s neat and familiar for me,” Schmitt said. “But just giving back to the sport is what is important for me. I get to transfer the knowledge I got to learn to the younger guys. Maybe I can give them a tip here or there to help them along the way, but just kind of hitting the scene again and being involved with the game is important.”
The itch to give back to the game is important, but coaching is a new role for Schmitt. Fortunately for him he’s learned from some of the best innovators in the sport. In addition to playing in Rodriguez’s dynamic spread offense, Schmitt learned under one of the game’s greatest offensive minds in Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid. He played under Reid in 2010 and 2011 when he was the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a key part of offenses that saw stars Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy earn Pro-Bowl nods, with Schmitt helping pave the way as a blocker.
But even before he came in contact with those coaches he had the opportunity to learn at home. It’s why he hasn’t experienced any surprises early in his coaching career.
“I wouldn’t say there are any surprises,” Schmitt said. “I grew up in a coaching household. My grandfather was a coach for 36 years. And he was a high school teacher and head football coach in Wisconsin where I grew up. It’s just kind of something that’s always been around in my life and it almost seems like I’ve been kind of empty without it because I couldn’t remember a time without it. The biggest thing with this and – I don’t know, it’s super cliché but walking between the white line, the hype, the Friday night under the lights. You just never forget those feelings.
“But it’s like I said. If I can give a kid one piece of knowledge that helps him in some fashion, some form, some way and helps him prove himself or I give him a piece of advice that helps him become a better young man, then I’m all for that.”
Schmitt will make his debut on the West sideline Friday when the Cavs travel to Buffalo.
Contact Tyler Jackson at tylerjackson@lootpress.com, call him at 304-731-5542 and follow on Twitter @tjack94