Blue Team running back Ryan Schadler is tacked by White Team safety Bazie Bates IV during the Spring Game on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at Memorial Stadium.

A little more than four months ago, first-year Kansas University football coach David Beaty posted a message to Twitter about unknown walk-on Ryan Schadler.

The Tweet, sent out near the end of Beaty’s first session of spring practices with the Jayhawks, simply read, “Ryan Schadler keeps showing up! I like it!”

Now we know why.

Schadler, a red-shirt freshman who started his college career as a sprinter at Wichita State, opened the spring as a wide receiver and was moved to running back when he showed an ability to make plays in traffic and break long runs after slipping past it.

“I tell you what,” began KU running-backs coach Reggie Mitchell, “when he has the ball in his hands, he has a burst. And it’s a different burst than other guys. There’s some guys that are 4.3 (-second 40-yard dash speed) that play like they’re 4.7, and there are some guys that are 4.7 that play like they’re 4.3, and he plays really, really fast.”

At 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Schadler doesn’t impress when he’s standing in the locker room. On the field, it’s a different story.

KU running back Ryan Schadler gets set for a play during Friday's practice in Memorial Stadium.

“That dude’s fast,” senior running back De’Andre Mann said. “And he can catch, too, so that’s a plus. And he’s getting better every day.”

Carrying the ball is nothing new for Schadler. At Class 4A Hesston High, he set six school records, twice earned first-team all-state honors and, one Friday night, ripped off 525 yards and eight touchdowns against El Dorado High, a total that ranks as the second-best single-game yardage mark in state history.

Those achievements came against much less intimidating competition than he faces every day at KU and will see in the Big 12, but Schadler already has developed a reputation for toughness.

“He’s a lot stronger than you think,” Mitchell said. “He’s one of the stronger guys on the team, so he can run in between the tackles.”

Added senior Taylor Cox, the big brother of the running-back group: “Ryan’s a smart kid, and he’s a really hard worker. He does what’s asked of him, and he’s picking up the offense really well.”

Continuing to conquer the playbook and “show up” on the practice field will be the key to how much playing time Schadler gets in the crowded Kansas backfield this fall. But he already has become one of those in-state walk-on success stories that Beaty and staff are looking for more of, and Mitchell believes fans will see No. 33 on the field plenty during the upcoming season.

“What you want him to do is have a little bit of patience. That’s what he has to learn,” Mitchell said. “But once he gets it, I think he has a chance to be really good. You never know what you’re gonna get, but he’s a guy that’ll probably have a chance to end up playing on special teams and make a contribution at running back.”