AXTELL (KSNT) - Moving from 8-man to 11-man football is a challenge Brandon Schmelzle welcomes.
It all started in early 2024 with a call from two KU football coaches, which came in while Schmelzle, an Axtell native, was playing in the Kansas state basketball tournament.
"I got a facetime call from my area coach, which was Coach Z," Schmelzle said. "And I facetimed him and Coach [Brian] Borland, the defensive coordinator, so they kind of tracked me down."
Now, the rising senior is committed to play for Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks in 2025.
"It means a lot," Schmelzle said of receiving an offer from KU. "Shows that they believed in me, especially being an eight-man player, they don't know that I'm going to adjust well. But just shows that they believe in me and trust me."
His current head coach, Eric Detweiler, believes Schmelzle is the first Axtell football player, of those he's coached in the past decade, to commit to the division one level. He's spent plenty of time on both sides of the ball, but expects to primarily play defense at KU.
As far as adjusting to the 11-man game, the future Jayhawk isn't concerned. He says Axtell's program watches quite a bit of film, something Detweiler puts emphasis on. Reviewing film, in addition to repetition in practice and just understanding the game.
"Incredible athlete," Detweiler said of Schmelzle. "Easy to coach, easy to get along with. He's willing to learn each and every day, and at the same time if he did something wrong, he's willing to adjust and get better."
If the transition on the field didn't seem significant enough, Schmelzle is the first to break his family's tradition and become a Jayhawk. He says his whole family attended K-State.
"My dad has [K-State] season tickets, and I think he's trying to switch them over to KU season tickets," Schmelzle said. "I think he'll probably still secretly be a fan, but he'll end up switching."
Schmelzle's first season at KU will be the program's first season in the newly-renovated David Booth Memorial Stadium, which is expected to be completed by August of 2025.
