Hawaii QB Schager takes the hits and keeps playing

Ironman has proven his skills.

Despite pain and late hits, Brayden Schager has started 27 consecutive football games, a school record by a University of Hawaii quarterback.

“He’s one of the toughest quarterbacks I’ve ever dealt with,” said head coach Timmy Chang, who set a record passer for the Rainbow Warriors in the 2000s. “People come up to him. Sometimes I wonder why he can leave next week. But he does. It’s his mental strength.”

Schager’s record is largely based on his performance on the field. He is fifth in program history in passing yards (7,833), total offense (7,989) and passing touchdowns (52). He is the Mountain West’s active career leader with 742 degrees.

“He’s big, he’s durable,” Chang said of Schager, who is 6-foot-1, weighs 220 pounds and is able to squat 400 pounds. “He stands in there and makes plays. When games fail, he makes them.”

Schager admitted that his winning streak is “pretty cool.” It’s cool that the coaches believed in me for so long. And I was able to stay healthy, God forbid injuries. This is a testament to that and a testament to these coaches. It’s really cool to have this (record).”

Growing up in the Dallas area, Schager always combined daring with perseverance. “The worst injury I had was when I broke my jaw and chipped my teeth,” he said of his final game with Highland Park High in January 2021.

In the regional final against Denton High, Schager was hit in the face during a scramble. He carefully stood up on the other sideline and spat out pieces of four broken front teeth.

“I spit it out in front of the opposing head coach,” recalls Schager. “I think he was a little surprised. … I went over and told my O-line to play. I didn’t have any (front) teeth in. I knew they were out, but I just knew I wasn’t going to get out of the game.”

Denton head coach Dave Henigan would tweet: “True. Right in front of me. TOUGH kid.”

Schager also noticed that his jaw was broken. “No fun,” he said. “It hurt.”

Against a strong Denton defense, Schager finished the loss with a touchdown pass and six runs for 30 yards. A dental bridge was later placed in his mouth. The jaw healed on its own.

Schager has overcome multiple aches and sprains during his four-year career at UH. “I’ve never been 100% healthy,” he admitted. “I’ve always been a bit broken. But there was never any point in wanting to sit outside. I would never want to miss a game. If it were up to me, I would never miss one.”

This season, he was hit late after releasing passes or while on the ground after rushes. Against UCLA, he battled an ankle injury sustained while serving as a landing spot for a defensive lineman. He still managed to climb successfully.

In five games, he has taken late hits that resulted in three roughing penalties and four personal fouls. Last week, San Diego State was penalized four times for late hits on Schager. On the last play of the game he was thrown to the ground, an action that the referees did not notice when the final whistle blew.

“I tend to draw a lot of these late penalties,” Schager said. “I don’t know what it is. I think teams like to beat me and try to take me out of the game. Whatever. I’ll take as many late hits as I can if we can get 15 extra yards.”

Schager added: “I just want to give everything for my team. I’m going to go out there and give it everything I’ve got when I’m on the field.”