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Sam Schwartzstein is a former college football star and the former director of operations for the XFL. These days, he is an analytics expert on Prime Video for Amazon Prime.
This article will spotlight Sam Schwartzstein and highlight his influence on the NFL's new hybrid kickoff rule suggestion. So, without further ado, let's get to it.
Who is Sam Schwartzstein?
Sam Schwartzstein started playing organized football at Carroll High School, where he played as a left tackle. The young Schwartzstein was a key part of his high school team and earned at least eight collegiate scholarship offers. He chose to attend Stanford University.
Schwartzstein joined Stanford as a guard and appeared sporadically in his rookie year. However, his fortunes improved in his senior year, and he started in 13 games as a center. He made the position his own and was instrumental in Andrew Luck becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
Schwartzstein had a stellar college career and departed at the end of the 2012 collegiate season. In his final season, he earned second-team All-Pac-12 and the Stanford Athletics Plus Leadership Award, known as the Al Masters Award, in recognition of his stellar leadership.
Schwartzstein declared for the 2013 NFL Draft but went undrafted. He then went into analytics and was a driving force behind the 2020 XFL.
Sam Schwartzstein created the XFL kickoff rule
Schwartzstein was instrumental in the 2020 iteration of the XFL. The former Stanford University standout helped write the XFL rule book from scratch. He became the XFL's director of operations, overseeing the league's compensation model for coaches and players, as well as on-field technology.
Schwartzstein was a driving force in the XFL's unique kickoff rule, which the NFL seeks to replicate for the hybrid kickoff rule.
Recently, Schwartzstein told ESPN's Kevin Seifert that 93% of XFL kickoffs were returned in the 2023 season, and no concussions were incurred on those plays. The NFL is looking to replicate such numbers as they seek ways to make the game more interesting.
