New England Patriots special teams ace Brenden Schooler was clocked at one of the fastest speeds you’ll see on a football field, his coach says.

On Tuesday, Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer was asked just how fast Schooler is going when he’s flying downfield on punt coverage during New England’s Week 1 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

“He’s about 22 miles an hour. He can roll,” Springer said. “That dude is — he’s an animal.”

NFL players’ movements on the field are tracked by GPS, giving personnel access to pinpoint data. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the fastest speed recorded by a ball carrier in 2023 was when Seahawks receiver DK Metcald ran 22.23 MPH. Only two other ball carriers posted speeds above 22 MPH.

Publically available data for player speeds is limited to ballcarriers, which means that special teams players like Schooler won’t appear at the top of the leaderboard. But based on the number that Springer gave out, he should be ranked toward the top of the league in how fast he flies downfield.

Springer said that Schooler greats guidance from the likes of assistant special teams coordinator Tom Quinn and special assistant Matthew Slater. But Springer says most of what makes Schooler great comes from his inner drive.

“At the end of the day, the man goes out there and does what he does because he’s got a built-in fire within him,” Springer said. “He’s got a heart bigger than most of us and the guy just loves football. So I contribute everything he does is because of how hard he works.”

Schooler has emerged as a major playmaker on the Patriots’ punt coverage unit. After playing receiver and safety in college, Schooler has gone all-in on kick coverage since reaching the NFL. An undrafted rookie in 2022, Schooler quickly established himself as a rising star on special teams alongside longtime Patriots captain Matthew Slater. Since Slater’s retirement, Schooler has emerged as New England’s most dangerous man in kick coverage.