2021 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Josiah Schakel, LB, University of Alberta

• Name: Josiah Schakel
• Height: 6’1
• Weight: 220 lbs
• Position: Linebacker
• College: University of Alberta

What is the best restaurant in your hometown city?

• Meat

When breaking down your film what will stick out?

• My physicality and explosiveness

If you won the lotto, what is the first thing you would do with the money?

• I would give a good portion of it away to charities. With the remainder leftover I would invest the money, use some of it to start a business, and buy a really nice mountain bike.

What has been your biggest failure?

• As an athlete never winning a provincial championship even though I have been to the finals five times. This is the one goal that I had that I did not accomplish before I reached the university level. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• My work ethic, according to one of my teammates that I asked, he said: “you do what is asked of you and then some.”

Who is the hardest working teammate on your team?

• Jassen Brown. Not only is he, in my books, the hardest worker on the team but, he calls people out who are not working as hard and do not have the same desire to play football like him. 

Have you ever had a nickname? What is it?

• My nickname is Shak, come from my last name Schakel. Before high school, I was trying out of a team and my coach could not remember my first name and that is when I started to be called Shak and it has stuck ever since.

What is your degree in, if you do not make it as a football player, what is your dream job?

• My degree is in Business with a major in Accounting and minor in Finance. If I do not make it as a football player, I would want to start my own company. 

What is your coolest life moment?

• I have had some pretty good moments in my life one of my favorites is winning the IFAF World Jr. Championship in Mexico against Mexico. It was an amazing experience representing my country in the sport that I love and upsetting the home team in front of their home crowd was something else. 

Check out NFL Draft Diamonds 2021 Small School Rankings

What song would you sing at Karaoke night?

• Katy Perry Firework 

If you could pick any actor to play you in a movie, who are you picking?

• Ryan Reynolds 

Who is your favorite football team?

• San Francisco 49ers 

If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

• Will be shy when we first meet but will become very vocal once I get comfortable with you.

What is your biggest fear?

• Oceans, once I cannot see the bottom anymore.

Take us through game day, How do you prepare?

• Gameday routine 
  • Go to bed at 10 pm the night before or earlier 
  • Wake up at 7 am and have breakfast and review any last-minute changes to the game plan 
  • Arrive three hours before game time 
    • Once at the field I prepare my uniform
  • 2 hours before game time I am dressed in my lowers, have my headphones on, and head out onto the field. I casually jog sideline to sideline in the endzone, while picturing myself having the perfect tackle, footwork, pick or play. I also pray during this time. This lasts about 30 mins and then I head back inside the locker room.
  • After the team does the warmup and group of us go into the endzone and pray one last time before its game time. 

Do you have any hobbies?

• In my spare time, I like to mountain bike and hike, I like to head to the mountains a lot. If I could, I would go every weekend.

Who has been the biggest influence on your life and explain why?

• My dad has been with me from the very start of my career even though he was hesitant to let be play football at first. He is the one who made sure I completed my workouts at an early age and would not be afraid to tell me if my effort has been slacking. He has always been very open with me letting me know what I am doing wrong and giving me advice, he wishes he had when he was my age. He tries to come to every game even when the team is traveling and when he cannot make, he is very upset and disappointed.

What motivates you to work hard?

• All the stuff I do not know yet. If I did not work hard, I would not learn anything because I would be taking the easy route with no risks and no chance of failure. When I work hard, I can learn how fair my body can go even though mentally I am exhausted when I work hard I will fail but I know that is okay because I see it as a chance to learn so it does not happen again, making me better.