Veteran UCF offensive line coach Herb Hand likes to talk about the football "abilities" that actually have nothing to do with a player's actual ability.
Durability . . . dependability . . . availability . . . compatibility . . . versatility.
"Those things don't have anything to do with your talent," he says.
That's UCF senior offensive guard Cole Schneider in a nutshell.
He seemingly has been around Orlando forever—including through a pair of coaching changes. After a freshman redshirt season on the scout team in 2017 when the Knights were finishing 13-0, Schneider won a spot in the 2018 starting lineup and has never left.
When UCF plays host to Tulane Saturday afternoon at the Bounce House, the Fort Myers, Florida, product will be starting his 43rd game in a Knight uniform.
That number comes from adding 12 starts from 2018 (when UCF went 12-1), 13 in 2019, nine in 2020 (in a Covid-shortened season) and eight straight so far this fall. He has played alongside a dozen other Knights who have been part of that starting lineup of offensive linemen since Schneider opened the first game of the 2018 campaign at right guard versus Connecticut.
"He's got a lot of juice," says Hand. "He's a veteran guy, has played a ton and played on some really good teams.
"He's been a steady force. He's got a great football IQ and he's seen a lot.
"He asks great questions in the meeting room. You can tell he's an experienced guy--he plays like a vet."
Schneider, at 6-4 and 315 pounds, has been pretty good at his craft:
--He won first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors in 2018 (when UCF set a season rushing record with 265.2 yards per game) and 2020 and second-team recognition in 2019.
--He made the Outland Trophy watch list for 2021 and was a third-team preseason All-American by Phil Steele in 2020.
--He even ran for a touchdown from the one-yard line in 2020 against Tulsa.
--He graduated in May with a degree in sociology (and currently is pursuing a second degree), winning AAC All-Academic notice for 2019.
During his previous three seasons as a regular, Schneider has been a key component of UCF teams that ranked fifth or better nationally in total offense every year, each time averaging at least 522.7 yards per game. In those same three seasons, the Knights rated in the NCAA's top 10 in scoring at 43.2, 43.5 and 42.2, respectively.
UCF currently averages 206.1 rushing yards per game (ranking 25th nationally and second in the AAC). If the Knights can stay above the 200-yard average it will be the fourth straight year accomplishing that feat. In only two other seasons (1990 and 2007) has UCF averaged more than 200 yards on the ground.
Schneider has been right in the middle of all that success—including a 27-game regular-season win streak and consecutive New Year's Six bowl appearances. His four years as a regular have involved pass protection for a combined 118 touchdown passes.
"Cole is a thick guy with some girth, a really strong guy," says Hand. "He packs a real punch."
If Schneider hadn't been so good at football at Riverdale High School, he might well have been a collegiate wrestler after winning a pair of Florida state titles as a heavyweight (going 29-0 as a senior).
"I started wrestling my freshman year in high school—my football coaches wanted me to do it to stay in shape. After my first year it kind of stuck. I went to a lot of summer (college) wrestling camps—Alabama, Georgia, Michigan. It helped me a lot more in football than some people think it has," says Schneider.
"You can see his wrestling background on the field—he plays with great balance," says Hand.
"He likes the grind--he enjoys the dirty work, the physical aspect of the game. He has the ability to move the line of scrimmage and knock people off the ball.
"He's been versatile enough to step in at center a couple of times already this year (Louisville and Temple games) when Matt Lee was banged up and we didn't miss a beat."
Knight fans have come to learn that one of the great mysteries revolves around what Schneider's hair color might be from one week to the next.
That began in 2018 after Schneider had what he describes as "long hair" when he first came to UCF: "I did the mohawk in preseason camp that second year here, and I decided to color it."
He uses semi-permanent hair dye, usually changing colors anytime he gets his hair cut. Some of the intent in terms of color is serious, some of it is simply for fun. He has lost track of the different hues he has tried.
For a while this fall it was red: "I was hoping by October it would fade to pink for breast cancer awareness," says Schneider, "because that's something I wanted to do.
"I wanted to do green (but he couldn't find it) to raise awareness of mental health issues in sports now. (Former UCF receiver great) Brandon Marshall talked to our team about it (mental health)—there are probably a lot more examples of it around and you just don't know it.
"I've tried all the primary colors and against Marshall in the bowl game a few years back I mixed red and black.
"Actually, I get color suggestions here and there, and I ask people, 'What do you think?' I'm always looking for new ideas."
He's currently sporting what he calls a sapphire blue shade.
Adds Hand, "It's been a way for him to honor some causes--there are reasons behind what he does. It's part of his personality.
"He'll tell you why he's doing it and the message he's trying to convey. I think that's awesome."
Schneider and Hand appreciate each other's passionate approaches:
"He (Schneider) loves watching tape," says Hand.
"When it comes to the football side of things, he's got a great football mind.
"He's a great communicator on the field—and he wants to embrace being a technician and that's critical for offensive line play.
"He's got a great future in front of him in terms of football. He's driven in that regard as he has progressed in his career with all the success he's had."
Says Schneider of Hand, "He loves the game, and it's contagious in the (offensive line) room.
"He's gonna coach the heck out of you and that's what we need and want."
Schneider also likes the fact he's looked at as a leader.
"You are part of building the foundation and building the UCF culture. It's the small things.
"The young players come in and you want to teach them and eventually help instill some confidence in them."
Schneider recalls that it wasn't so long ago that he realized playing on the line in football was where he was destined.
"At one point, I drank so much milk—and ate so much peanut butter. By the time I was 9 or 10 (years old) I realized I could lift a lot of weight," he says.
"Then, when I was 18 and came in as a (UCF) freshman, my bench (press) jumped about 90 pounds to 450."
Five years in Orlando have created a definite comfort level for Schneider.
"UCF was more of a gut feel for me when I was making my decision," he says.
"It was somewhere I wanted to be, regardless of football.
"It's like a second home to me."
Four consecutive years in the starting lineup have made it hard for Knight fans not to notice.
Says Hand, "You can always count on him being there."
