When Bison football head coach
Brian Dobie recruited receiver
Dylan Schrot ahead of the 2017 season, he described the Winnipeg product as "mature beyond his years". Looking at Schrot's career in the sport, it's hard to argue with that logic.
The Winnipeg native was a standout with the Sisler Spartans in high school but chose to hone his game in the Canadian Junior Football League after graduation.
His first destination was Vancouver Island of the British Columbia Football Conference. In 2013, he was named the team's receiver of the year.
At the end of the season however, he chose to pack his bags and headed to play for the Calgary Colts in the Prairie Football Conference, as his head coach with Vancouver Island had taken the vacant position there.
Things didn't go as planned though, as Schrot was forced to sit out the 2014 season due to Vancouver Island not granting him his player release form. Instead of getting down on the situation, he continued to train in order to be prepared for the following year.
Unfortunately, his comeback didn't go as planned as he tore his ACL and missed the entire 2015 campaign as well. Again, Schrot didn't think about the negatives. Instead, he got a job as a personal trainer, which helped him learn how to take care of the body and ensure an injury of that magnitude didn't happen again.
It was also at this point that Schrot started learning more about sports psychology.
"I had to take a hard look in the mirror and decide who I wanted to be as a person. I just naturally led myself into that field," the arts student says.
"I started taking learning and reading a lot more seriously. There's not a day that goes by that I don't try to learn something new and become a better version of myself."
Schrot's dedication paid off in 2016, as he was named an All-Canadian with the Colts, hauling in 39 receptions for 651 yards as a slotback.
The following year — his first with the Bisons — he earned a starting spot at wideout. But four games into the season, he pulled his hamstring. Once again, he didn't get down on himself, as he felt more equipped to handle the injury.
"It was just another mental obstacle to try and overcome," he says. "It really fueled me for the offseason, just knowing that I didn't live up to my potential or expectations in my first year."
Schrot's positive mindset and humble attitude have shone through so far in his final year with Manitoba. He's currently third in receiving yards in the conference, with 228. That's just ten shy of his totals all last season.
Despite his gaudy numbers, the versatile pass-catcher — who shifted back to the slot this year — has maintained his humble attitude.
"For myself, I'm not the most vocal guy," he says. "I like to view myself more as the lead by example kind of guy. We have a lot of guys who know what they're doing, so it takes a lot of pressure off of each other."
