‘He’s somebody I can count on’: How Quinn Schulte went from walk-on to Indianapolis

Big Ten Media Days are an opportunity for teams to highlight their star players. The Hawkeyes chose to bring one of their best stories to Indianapolis in former walk-on Quinn Schulte.

Iowa’s star free safety was a zero-star recruit coming out of high school. He didn’t have a scholarship offer in place and only considered in-state schools. He’s now a multi-year starter his teammates call an essential piece to the Hawkeyes’ defense.

Jay Higgins says he’s voted for Schulte to be a team captain from the moment he was able to.

“The free safety position at Iowa is a big deal,” Higgins said. “What we ask this guy to do — the guys we ask him to run with and the guys we ask him to tackle. The dude plays linebacker but more pass coverage. He shows up every day, he’s the leader of that room.”

“Just where he came from: He starts as a walk on, works his way up the depth chart … he’s somebody I can count on.”

Schulte earned a scholarship in 2021 before his third season at Iowa. He still wears his former walk-on status as a badge of honor — crediting his success to Iowa’s culture giving everyone a fair shot.

“Being a walk-on, you’re coming in with low expectations,” Schulte said. “People might overlook you and I think that’s something that you always have on your shoulder. Every day that’s something I try and take one day at a time. That’s what I’m trying to encourage the younger guys now to do too.”

“You can’t look too far ahead or you won’t be where your feet are.”

“It took Phil [Parker, Iowa’s defensive coordinator] two years before he started calling him by his name in our meetings,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “He’d act like he didn’t know who the guy was. Phil always playing games but he always liked him right off the bat.”

“He had the right makeup, if you will. It’s just a matter of getting comfortable playing.”

Schulte will enter his third season a starter for the Hawkeyes, and his sixth total at Iowa.

Thanks to Zimmerman Honda for presenting our Big Ten Media Days coverage on Hawkeye Headquarters.

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