Why YOU Should Want to Be the Perfect Walk-On Player
August 23rd, 2008 - by
by Chris Krause, NCSA Founder and President
As the hype and hoopla of the upcoming college football season gets ready to kick-off next weekend, and all of our time and attention here at NCSA focuses on a new class of high school athletes in all sports who are entering the stretch run when it comes to getting noticed by college coaches and hoping for a full-ride scholarship, I want to talk to you about being the perfect walk-on player.
“Walking on???”, you say. “Why are you going to talk to me about walking on to play sports at the college level?”
Because for many athletes, it’s what they choose to do. In fact, it was almost the road that I took when I was searching for the right school as a high school athlete.
Furthermore, having the right “walk-on attitude” can help you right now as you compete for scholarships while you enter the final year (or years) of high school.
I was reminded of that certain attitude when I ran across a great article about the walk-on football players at Marshall University. In the article, it talks about how important the walk-on player for the program. The reporter talked to an incoming Freshman walk-on player, Chris Bowers. Bowers’ attitude was off the charts…here’s what the 6′ 2″, 280 lb. lineman had to say about his grueling pre-season workouts at Marshall University:
“It’s a privilege certainly,” Bowers said. “There are a lot of guys who would have loved to have been down here. They gave me the privilege and the shot to come down and show them what I can do.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity. It’s a strange perspective since I’ve been around it all my life, basically. Actually being on the field with the guys you’ve been watching for a couple of years, it’s a strange perspective.”
“And as a walk-on I know it’s going to be really difficult, because I don’t have to be a little bit better than the guy in front of me. I have to be a lot better, because they brought him in for a reason.”
The thing is, no matter what happens in Bowers’ college football career, he’s going to be successful in life. If he perseveres, he’s going to come away with a work-ethic and attitude that will make him unbeatable in his post-college career, whatever it is.
Marshall’s coach, Mark Snyder, agrees:
“It’s a rough road for them,” Thundering Herd head coach Mark Snyder said. “They’re paying their own way to school, and you’re relegated to scout team work. And you’ve basically got to make a way out of no way.
“But what we’ve found is that most of the time those guys become great leaders, because they’ve had the adversity. They don’t take things for granted.
“Those kids have done a great job. They’ve worked hard, and I’m glad they’re on our football team.”
After listening to Coach Snyder and Chris Bowers, here’s why I think every high school athlete should take on the attitude - right now - of being determined to be the perfect walk-on player in college:
- You will put yourself in control of the recruiting process. Of course you want a full-ride scholarship. But even for really good athletes, that sometimes doesn’t happen (especially in non-revenue sports at the college level). Think about it: If you make up your mind that you’ll probably be a walk-on player in college, you can take control and choose the best school for you, rather than waiting for phone calls from your dream school.
- You will develop an unbeatable positive attitude. That’s something that you will take with you your entire life. Having a “can do” attitude is something that employers (and college coaches) look for in people. Look back at the quote from Chris Bowers at Marshall: Does it sound like he’s unhappy to be a walk-on? Absolutely not! He’s a part of a program he loves, and even though it’s hard work he knows he will benefit in the end.
- You will develop GREAT leadership skills. Why? Because you will have to go through a little more adversity than some of your fellow athletes. And I can tell you, as someone who has built a successful organization from the ground up and has gone through his share of adversity on the field and in the corporate world, you will draw on your experiences as an college athlete to power you through to success. The walk-ons of today will be the CEO’s of tomorrow.
- You will be more grateful for the chance to play sports. Walk-on athletes at the college level talk about the renewed passion that they have for their sport at that level. Why? Because they have to work harder to continue playing the sport they love, which propels them towards better performances in their sport. Sometimes you have to go through a little adversity to launch you to the next level.
- Chances are, if you stick with it, you’ll earn a scholarship. As you begin to hear from college coaches this year, don’t be surprised if they tell you that they have a policy of not giving incoming Freshmen scholarship money. However, they will also talk about kids who stick with it, make the team, and then are awarded healthy scholarships for the rest of their college career. My message here is that your hard work will pay off; usually with scholarship money, and almost certainly with new leadership abilities, more maturity, and with the ability to overcome obstacles in your life after college.
So, right now in high school, develop the attitude of the perfect walk-on player. Decide to have the attitude right now, before you need it, that you WILL play college sports no matter what. And, if it comes to taking a walk-on opportunity in your sport, you will look at it as an opportunity to build yourself into not just a better athlete, but a better person as well.
To maximize your opportunities to play college sports, I’d love to have my team of more than 70 former college athletes and coaches here at NCSA be able to help you through the process. If you haven’t registered your athletic qualifications with us yet, click here.
August 24th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Great advice! If I read what you’re saying right, having a great attitude may even help me get a college scholarship. All I have to do is know the rules of the “recruiting game”. It sure would be nice to have a scholarship out of high school.
August 24th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
this seems to be very interesting
August 24th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
this lets me know that if you are willing to work hard for something you can achieve great things chris is some one i would like to be because he is a true leader
August 25th, 2008 at 1:40 am
awesome advice! I like the part where it says your attitude about maybe walking on can put you in control of recruiting and choosing the school you go to. SO TRUE! Thanks for the gr8 article Mr. Krause
August 25th, 2008 at 8:47 am
I was a walkon back in th 70’s and earned a scholarship. I can relate to everything you said in the article and because of that experience I have benefited later in life as far as confronting challenges and overcoming obstacles. So if you have to “Walkon” that may not be the worst thing you have to do in life.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:57 am
That’s a great story, Charles. As you’re probably aware, colleges had unlimited scholarships for football in the 1970’s. Since then, the number of athletic scholarships have been reduced and are very limited. Now, major D1 schools only have 85 scholarships. Even though the walk-on story taps into the emotion of your hard work will pay off, the other side not mentioned is that it doesn’t happen for everyone. In fact, a lot of those walk-ons end up quitting because of financial hardship when they could have played at a D2 or NAIA school where they could receive a lot of financial aid.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:30 am
My son had many opportunities to play at the D-2 & D3 level throughout the country. But what he really wanted was a shot to play Division I football in his home state of TEXAS. So he went with a school that had recruited him, but not offered him a scholarship. He was redshirted his freshman year, but gained lots of invaluable experience at a winning D1 program. He suited up every game of the season . Our university had a great season & was invited to play in a Bowl game, so he traveled w/ the team & had the amazing experience of Bowl competition, with all the perks. He hopes to earn a scholarship & the university he chose has promoted walk ons to full rides, often in their sophomore year. He is so grateful to be continuing to play college football, while most of his teammates & friends will never play again. Walking on separates the boys from the men. Yes, they must prove themselves. But attitude is everything. Our son wouldn’t trade his experience for anything. He is going for his dream and will have no regrets, no matter what happens. WALK ON TIP—- he chose a university that has a history of rewarding walk ons, with a head coach who himself was a walkon & appreciates what they bring to the table. If you choose to take the risk of walking on, make sure you do so at a program that has a track record of scholarshipping quality walk ons.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Great Article. That just goes to show you that even with adversity in your way the people with the right attitude can turn the negative into a positve.
August 26th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
thats a good thing to think about because attitude is everything attitude depends on how people treat u && how far u go in life
September 17th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I have a cousin who was a recruited walk-on at a Big Ten school two years ago. In HS he was All-Conference and All Area with a 31 ACT. He locked in on that school and never considered the scholarship offers from other schools including DI schools because they were not Big Ten. He went to fall practice and was able to suit up for the 7 home games and the bowl game. They did not invite him out for spring ball. He does not want to transfer as he has made friends; is entrenched in his academic program; and doesn’t want to start all over. I recently ran into the recruiting coordinator of the school. ‘Off the record’ I asked him about the walk on program. He said they will bring in 40 players a year and generally keep 4 thru 4-5 years. There are great success stories for those select few. The others quit or are not invited back out. Great attitude or not, alot of those guys are done after one or two years and have never played.