UC – Berkeley alum Max Schumacher played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented the Houston SaberCats for his entire MLR career.

A native of Carmichael, CA, Max Schumacher was a stand out for the Golden Bears while enrolled at UC-Berkeley. He was named a D1A Collegiate All_American in 2022, before beind selected as a Rudy Scholz Award Finalist in his senior year in 2023. Following his graduation, Schumacher declared for the 2023 Major League Rugby Collegiate Draft where he was selected in the 1st Round, 2nd Overall by the Houston SaberCats using a pick acquired via trade with the Toronto Arrows. The SaberCats did not wait long to sign Schumacher, doing so in September 2023, joining fellow UCal alumni Christian Dyer in Houston. In his debut MLR season Schumacher earned 14 appearances from the bench, running for over 100m gained in limited game time for the Houston SaberCats as they finished as the top team in MLR during the regular season, with a record of 14-2. On December 11th, 2024, the Houston SaberCats announced the return of Max Schumacher for the 2025 season.

Although Schumacher earned 14 appearances in his rookie season in 2024, the 2025 season was a real break out for him. He made his first MLR start, scored his first MLR try, and surpassed his career highs in both tackles and meters made before the half-way point of the regular season. Schumacher appeared in every game during the regular season, and helped the ‘Cats to finally earn their first playoff victory over Rugby FC LA. The SaberCats would go on to defeat the Utah Warriors to claim the Western Conference Title, before falling to the New England Free Jacks in the 2025 MLR Championship Game. Schumacher featured in all 3 playoff games for Houston in 2025, even scoring a pair of tries in the Championship Game.

In total, Max Schumacher started 13 of his 19 appearances for the Houston SaberCats in 2025, scoring 5 tries and gaining over 500m in possession during a stand-out season. In September 2025 following the end of the MLR season, the Houston SaberCats announced their withdrawal from the competition, leaving Schumacher’s rugby future unclear.

Achievements:

• 2025 Western Conference Champion: Houston SaberCats
• MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 11
• MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 7
• 2023 Draftee: 2nd Overall – Houston SaberCats