A How To Guide To Walk-On To A College Football Program and Earn a Scholarship

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A How To Guide To Walk-On To A College Football Program and Earn a Scholarship

A complete guide to walking-on to a college football team.

Welcome!Are you being overlooked by college recruiters?

Walk-onAthletes.com's goal is to open the lines of communication to help overlooked high school athletes play football beyond high school and earn a scholarship.

There are many high school recruiting sites out there, but no other site caters to the majority of high school athletes, which are the athletes NOT receiving athletic scholarships. I understand how important it is for you to fully understand the process before you begin on this course, and I am here to help. You have stumbled upon one of the few web sites that encourage you to pursue your dreams and earn that college scholarship. Saturday, April 5, 2014 Behind the Scenes with College Football's Unsung Hero, the Walk-onBy Greg Wallace Behind the Scenes with College Football's Unsung Hero, the Walk-on
The moment passed so quickly, so anonymously, that most of the college football world outside of the Bay Area probably barely took notice.Late in the first half of the annual Big Game between Cal and Stanford on Oct. 20, 2012, Stanford starting center Sam Schwartzsteins helmet flew off. By rule, he was forced to sit out a play before re-entering the game.

No big deal, right? For most of us, yes.

For Conor McFadden, it was a huge deal.

See, McFadden was Schwartzsteins backup. And he was about to make his college football debut.
Mark J. Terrill Conor McFadden celebrates with teammates following the 2013 Rose Bowl.Everyone was looking, McFadden recalled. I said, Id done this before, worked with the first team a lot. I almost took the quarterbacks head off with the snap. I rifled it. Luckily, we had a good athlete playing there at the time. I made the block, made a good play and came off after the play. It was a wow moment.

It was a moment of wow, of excitement, of validation.

See, McFadden was a walk-on. And this was his college football debut. Overlooked by major college football programs while growing up in the Twin Cities area, he walked on at Stanford and carved out a role for himself, eventually earning a scholarship and putting himself on track for a degree in public policy.

That play was a realization, he said, that I can play at this level.

You cant discount the drive and hunger that being a walk-on gives you, he said. You want to prove you belong.

McFaddens college football journey is not that of a heralded 5-star recruit, but it is no less important. His story, and those of others like him, like friend Robbie Lemons, a Stanford guard who clinched the Cardinals recent NCAA tournament upset of New Mexico with a pair of late free throws, are proof that college sports are about more than the superstars. The road less-traveled works too.
McFaddens road began in Sunfish Lake, Minn., a small Twin Cities suburb. He played high school football at St. Thomas Academy and was a first-team Minneapolis Star Tribune All-Metro selection and a second-team All-State selection, per the Associated Press. But he was also 62, 250 pounds and didnt exactly receive much attention from major college football programs.

Notre Dame came to school and they pulled me out of class, he said. The recruiter took two looks up and down, and I was 62, 250. He never called back.

McFaddens father, Mike, put a high premium on academics, and Conor was set to go to Princeton and play football there. But the Tigers had a coaching change in late 2009, which led him to re-examine his choice.

His father received an email from Stanford, which had watched his highlight tape and was interested in exploring his status as a preferred walk-on.

I said itd be a cold day in Hell before I went to college in California, he said. I ate my words very happily.

On that mid-January day, it was 65 degrees warmer in the Bay Area than the Twin Cities, which brightened McFaddens mood immediately.

The combination of playing for a coach like Jim Harbaugh, who believed in me the moment I stepped on campus, and it being 60 degrees when I landed vs. negative-five when I took off sealed me, he said.

Stanfords application deadline had already passed, and the help McFadden received in expediting the admission process was one of the only true favors he got as a preferred walk-on.
He received no scholarship money, and NCAA rules did not allow him to receive any extra preference in applying for scholarships or grants.

It was very similar to what I would have received in the Ivy League, he said. There was no scholarship offer. It was a way to get into school and be a part of the team.

Once he was on campus, there was the matter of, well, proving himself. McFadden admits he was one of the worst athletes you can possibly imagine on the Stanford football team. Too small, too slow, every single excuse in the book.

To earn the attention of Harbaugh and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren, McFadden used his best weapon: his mind.

He has a near-photographic memory and is a football savantcapable of instantly diagramming plays on a sideline whiteboard. In college football, where teams are not allowed to use aerial cameras like NFL teams use to capture action from above and relay it to the sidelines, this is a very valuable skill.
He traveled with the Cardinal and helped the offense discover defensive tendencies on the fly, leading to offensive success.

It helped me in terms of understanding the playbook, he said. Learning the playbook can be pretty complicated. If you dont know the plays, you cant be on the field. As a young player, I got a lot of reps even though I was nowhere near as talented as some of the other guys on the offensive line. I knew what to do and the play would get off. I might get beat on the play, but Id try and do my job.

Also, as a walk-on, I knew I couldnt compete physically at a young age. It was frustrating for me. I wanted to pull my own weight, be part of something, wanted to feel like I was contributing. I had to be creative and think outside the box.

Off the field, McFadden wasnt treated any differently than a scholarship player. He was part of the team. Stanford has a strong walk-on culture. Eight players who walked on with McFadden were on the two-deep last fall.

You talk to a lot of guys, and a lot didnt even know I was a preferred walk-on, he said. I never felt treated any differently. No different locker room, I didnt have to eat in a different place. It isnt another barrier. I think thats a real benefit and important for a walk-on program to have...It speaks volumes to the type of program Stanford is. Its a meritocracy when you come in. People arent looked down upon. Theyre treated as equals.

College footballs pay-for-play debate has received plenty of attention over the last year, and it went to a new level last week when the National Labor Relations Board ruledthat Northwestern football players would be allowed to unionize, a decision that Northwestern is appealing.

McFadden says he understands the anger leveled at the NCAA, but paying players isnt the solution. Getting them better prepared for life after college is.

I dont need more money in my pocket, he said. With celebrities and pro athletes, money gets them in trouble. Thats why college sports are so valuable. It gives kids an opportunity at an education, which is truly more valuable in the long term. Infinitely more valuable. Football, money, that stuff goes away at the end of the day.

Unionization, he said, is going from the devil you know to the devil you dont know completely, noting that union members pay dues and students could be taxed for their earnings.

Far more important, in his eyes, is holding schools accountable for their players academics. He is very disappointed in the NCAA as a whole and says there are institutions that are willingly letting kids fail.

He favors strong sanctions for programs that dont graduate their players, calling current penalties for poor Academic Performance Rate (APR) a slap on the wrist.

In the most recent Graduation Success Rate (GSR) ratings released last fall, Stanford had a 93 percent rate, No. 5 nationally.Rival Cal had a 44 percent rate, the worstin any BCS league.
TONY AVELAR Conor McFadden played in six games in his career and earned a Stanford scholarship. Cal graduated less than 50 percent of their players. Its an unbelievable school, a great school, one of our fiercest rivals. But you should never graduate less than 50 percent of your players. Im very lucky, I took full advantage of my Stanford career with coaches and mentors. A lot of people didnt have that same support system.

The NCAA has sold college athletics as a replacement, coaches as mentor figures in kids lives. At some point you need to say enough is enough and we need to start doing right by these athletes.
McFadden truly appreciates the treatment he has received from Stanford and its coaches. The moment he experienced on Mothers Day 2012 was truly gratifying.

New coach David Shaw called him with some special news. He was being placed on scholarship.
I earned the respect of my teammates and coaches, he said. The scholarship was evidence of a job well done. Coach Shaw always talks about tangible evidence, and thats something were always proud of doing...Accomplishing something like that was the best day of my life. I called my mom and gave her quite a present for Mothers Day. A giant tuition reduction.
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images McFadden gave up his final season of college football to work on his father's Senate campaign. McFadden also credited Bloomgren.

There needs to be more people in college football like Mike Bloomgren, he said. Hes always been on my side since day 1, fighting for me at every step. Id do anything for him, and he did anything and everything for me.

McFaddens first play was fortuitous, too. His family (Conor is one of six children) had flown out for the big game and was in the stands at Berkeley.

Getting in the game was McFaddens own personal salvo at the Notre Dame and Minnesota recruiters who looked right past him, even if some of his family didnt see the actual play.

My little brothers were off getting Mike and Ikes, he said. It couldnt have ended any other way. Thats how crazy and funny my family is. It was a very special experience.
In his career, McFadden played in six games over two seasons.

I laughed about it that I went to the worst possible school for an offensive lineman to walk on at, he said. We have an unbelievable offensive line that are talented and great guys at every level. We have so much talent and theyre such quality human beings. If youre part of the Stanford offensive line tradition, you realize, Wow, I can play at this level.' The hardest people I ever blocked were at practice, no question in my mind.

Before last season, McFadden came to what he called the toughest decision Ive ever made.
His father Mike is one of six candidates running for the Republican nomination to face incumbent Democrat Al Franken in the 2014 general election for one of Minnesotas two U.S. Senate seats.
Conor decided that he would take a one-year leave of absence from Stanford to work on his fathers campaign. He had a year of football eligibility left and could have challenged for a starting job this fall.

However, leaving meant that his eligibility clock (players are given five years to play four, and Conor had already redshirted) would expire, ending his collegiate career.

Stanford football has been a family to me, he said. I came extremely close in fall camp to earning the starting job, and its something I really wanted. I knew if I stayed for another year, Id have a chance to win the starting job. But Im the oldest of six kids and thats what families do. Dad really needed my help.

McFadden admitted he was worried about his teams response, but he says the support has been extremely gratifying.

The outpouring of support and tears has been unbelievable, he said. Itll be a little tough next year watching them run onto the field, but I have utter confidence in every guy on the team that they can do something special. I just wont be a part of it.

Hell be fighting a different kind of battle, helping shape his fathers policies and traveling across Minnesota speaking on his behalf.

Theres not a lot of difference between politics and football, he said. The only difference is, football has rules. I could go on and on about the lessons Stanford has helped me be able to bring to the real world and apply. I have a strong belief that we can do better.Posted byGood Driverat11:15 AM0comments Saturday, March 1, 2014 Top 10 Active PLayers Who Were College Walk-OnsThere is more to this story than just fulfilling a dream? Do yourself a favor and check out their individual salary levels..


http://www.nfl.com/photos/0ap2000000254526Top 10 Active PLayers Who Were College Walk-OnsPosted byGood Driverat8:52 AM0comments Sunday, December 29, 2013 Kansas State Defensive End Ryan Mueller Walked-On, Became Best in Big 12

By Scott Bordow

AzCentral Sports

Michigan left tackle Taylor Lewan is 6 feet 8 and 315 pounds. Hes a two-time All-American and is expected to be one of the top 15 picks in the upcoming NFL draft.

Kansas State defensive end Ryan Mueller is 6-2 and 245 pounds. He walked on to Kansas State and helped pay for his tuition with money he earned from his landscaping business.

Their respective biographies would suggest Lewan will have the upper hand in Saturdays Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl game at Sun Devil Stadium. Mueller, however, doesnt see it that way.

I have seen him on tape and I have heard of all the awards that he has won, Mueller said. It is obviously going to be a tremendous challenge for me going against arguably one of the best tackles in the country, but I am confident in my ability. I am confident in what I have been taught the last four years that I can handle anything that comes my way.

I just try to be better than the man across from me, because I know that behind all of that stuff it does not really mean anything. Its what inside that makes a player good.

Muellers journey from walk-on to a junior season in which he had a team-high 11 1/2 sacks and was named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year stretches credulity. He didnt come out of nowhere; he was somewhere beyond nowhere.

Mueller was the Eastern Kansas League Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas High in Overland Park, Kan., but all that got him was a bunch of rejection letters from colleges, including his beloved Kansas, where his father Steve went to school and where he attended games as a child.

They obviously thought I was talented but not as talented as other guys they offered scholarships, Mueller said. I took it as a chip on my shoulder. I decided to take my college career to the highest level possible, and Kansas State recruited me as a walk-on. It was a level playing field for everybody to be a starter in this program, and I decided to take it and run with it as far as I could.

Mueller was not an overnight success. He had total of 17 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks his first two seasons. But the lack of playing time and results wasnt going to deter a young man who started his own landscape business when he was 12 years old and ran it through high school.

I usually did all the work by myself, Mueller said. Id go to school, go to practice and mow as many lawns as I could before dark.

That same work ethic and determination drove his success this season; Mueller finished tied for seventh in the country in sacks, but his coach and teammates were more impressed by the way he carried himself every day in practice.

Nobody practices harder than Ryan Mueller, coach Bill Snyder told reporters. Nobody.

Added center B.J. Finney: What youre seeing is the direct result of how hard Mueller works. Mueller is a very hard worker, hes a great guy, and he doesnt take any day for granted. He doesnt take a day off. His motor is always running, and hes always screaming ... and hollering.

Mueller needs one more sack to break the single-season school record he shares with Nyle Wiren and Ian Campbell. Think Kansas regrets not offering him a scholarship?

Theres a lot more disappointing things that can happen in life, Mueller said. My dad told me, Go where youre wanted. Dont go to a place where youre not wanted. If you cut me open now, I totally bleed purple.

Posted byGood Driverat5:55 PM0comments Sunday, February 26, 2012 Q Today the Burlsworth Trophy committee announced the top five finalists for the inaugural Burlsworth Trophy award. The finalists include Sean Bedford, Georgia Tech; Josh McNary, Army; Nick Reveiz, Tennessee; Bryant Ward, Oklahoma State and Ryan Winterswyk, Boise State.

Sean Bedford, Georgia Tech
Bedford, a 6-1, 281-pound senior center, is on track for a second consecutive All-ACC season. He anchors a Yellowjackets offensive line that has paved the way for a rushing offense that ranks No. 1 in the ACC and NCAA. Ivy League schools were interested in Bedford primarily for his academic abilities. No Division I schools offered him a scholarship and he chose Georgia Tech for its engineering program. Sporting News named the aerospace engineering major one of the 20 smartest athletes in the nation.

Josh McNary, Army
McNary, a 6-1, 235-pound senior defensive end is among Armys leaders with 41 tackles, including 12 for loss. His 9.5 sacks per game average ranks him in the Top 10 nationally this season. McNary is the all-time leader in sacks and tackles for loss at Army. He is fifth among active players in career sacks and career tackles for loss.

Nick Reveiz, Tennessee
Reveiz, a 5-10, 224-pound senior linebacker, led the Volunteers with 94 tackles in the regular season, placing among the SECs most productive defenders. His six tackles for loss and two interceptions also placed him among the team leaders as Tennessee secured a bowl berth. Reveiz, who chose to walk on at Tennessee rather than take a scholarship at a smaller school, has enjoyed success beyond the field as well. Hes in line for a fourth SEC all-academic award and has earned his undergraduate degree in enterprise management.

Bryant Ward, Oklahoma State
Ward, a 5-11, 237-pound senior fullback, is a key component of an OSU offense that leads the Big 12 in yards, scoring, passing and rushing. The Cowboys are ranked second nationally in total offense, thanks in no small part to Ward, whose blocking and versatility earned him All-Big 12 recognition in 2009. Ward grew up in OSUs backyard, but warranted only a walk-on offer. No other Division I teams sought his services, but he has since become a weapon on offense and special teams.

Ryan Winterswyk, Boise State
Winterswyk, a 6-4, 270-pound senior defensive end, leads the Broncos with seven tackles for loss. He has 2.5 sacks for the Broncos, who led the nation in sacks. A knee injury as a senior in high school limited Winterswyks college options, but Boise State granted his request to walk-on in 2007. He is now fourth on the schools career tackles list and on pace to make a third consecutive all-WAC team. Winterswyk graduated with a degree in business management in May and is enrolled in graduate school.

All five of these young men show talent on and off the field and are great representations of what the Burlsworth Trophy is all about, said Marty Burlsworth, founder and CEO of the Burlsworth Foundation.

In honor of Brandon Burlsworth, former University of Arkansas walk-on and All-American offensive lineman, the award will be given to the collegiate player who began his career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field. Nominees must have begun their first season of participation with a Division 1 (FBS) football program without financial aid of any kind from their athletic department.

Without one Division 1 scholarship offer, Brandon Burlsworth walked on to the Razorback team in 1994, worked his way to being a three-year starter and was eventually named an All-American in 1998. Burlsworth was selected in the second round with the 63rd overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 NFL draft, but was tragically killed in a car accident 11 days later. The Burlsworth Foundation was created in his memory and supports the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those children that have limited opportunities.

The winner of the Burlsworth Trophy will be announced on Dec. 15. A banquet will be held in honor of the winner on Feb. 7, 2011 in Springdale, Ark. hosted by the Springdale Rotary Club.Posted byGood Driverat2:47 PM0comments Wednesday, September 8, 2010 Michigan Football - Making Life Easy for Walk-Ons


Usually, finding any information about walk-on tryouts takes some digging. But, some programs, like the University of Michigan, make it easy to know where and when to earn your stripes. Hopefully, schools that you are interested make it this easy.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- All enrolled University of Michigan students interested in walking-on to the football team may register for fall tryouts at Schembechler Hall through Friday (Sept. 10), between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Schembechler Hall is located at 1200 S. State Street, adjacent to the Yost Ice Arena. All those interested in registering must bring a copy of a physical taken within the last calendar year.

The tryout will be held on Monday, Sept. 13 at 4:30 p.m. at Schembechler Hall. All students who register should bring their high school coaches' contact information, cleats and tennis shoes.

Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423Posted byGood Driverat6:28 PM0comments Sunday, July 25, 2010 Resources from Erik Sherman ArticleThe Walk-On Route

Some college coaches allow student athletes without a scholarship to try out for their teams as a walk-on. Thomas Howard, who played football at the University of Texas at El Paso, was one such athlete. And after a year of proving himself, he was offered a scholarship. But Howard says the chance of pulling that off is small, even if a coach, looking to fill a roster, makes promises of a future secure spot.

Howard, now a linebacker with the Oakland Raiders, recently started a foundation to provide scholarships to promising walk-ons. For more information, visit thowardfoundation.org


Here are four helpful Web sites for athletes interested in the do-it-yourself scholarship process:

Recruit-Me offers a kit with information on such topics as how to approach colleges, using video, and choosing an athletic camp. $127, recruit-me.com

College Scouts Recruit Me provides access to informational resources, coach and recruiter profiles, college listings, and a newsletter. $25 a year, csrecruitme.com

beRecruited offers free membership that allows unlimited video uploads, automatic coach notifications, a personal profile, and articles on recruiting. Deluxe membership adds college and coach trackers, a letter-of-interest generator, and some featured exposure on the site. $39.99, berecruited.com

Takkle is a social networking site where students can network online with peers, create profiles, and upload statistics, photos, and videos. Registration is free. takkle.comPosted byGood Driverat5:12 PM0commentsDo-It-Yourself ScholarshipsArticle by Erik Sherman

Amy Murphy-Wallace was a competitive swimmer with a top California club team. Not surprisingly, she hoped to land a college athletic scholarship before graduating from high school in 2000. But as one friend after another got recruited, her phone remained silent. So she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Murphy-Wallace created a list of schools she was interested in, researched the phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the respective swim coaches, and made them aware of her accomplishments and her desire to join their team. "It was the best thing I could have done," she recalls. Her efforts eventually netted her a four-year scholarship at the University of Nevada.

If you're among the country's elite high school athletes, especially in football or basketball, it's easier to catch the eye of some powerhouse university. But for thousands of other talented, hard-working athletes, attracting the attention of college recruiters can be a big-time challenge. Going unnoticed doesn't necessarily mean you're unwanted. It just means you have to work a little harder and smarter.

Many companies promise to boost athletes' profiles and make them more visible to college coaches, but the professional touch isn't always warmly received. "If the athlete or the service they hired didn't take the time to do a little bit of research on our program or university, then they're not as interested as I need them to be," says Mike Mominey, athletic director and head baseball coach for Nova Southeastern University, a Division II school in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Going overboard with self-promotion, he adds, can cross the fine line between persistence and annoyance.

To raise awareness of your athletic prowess and also save money in the process, Mominey and other college coaches recommend going the do-it-yourself route. It's not that a professional service can't help, they say, but students need to be actively involved from the get-go.

Making the Grade

The first step, not surprisingly, is to do well in school. "When coaches hand out scholarships, they don't want the student sitting on the bench because they don't have the grades [to play]," says Penny Hastings, co-author of How to Win a Sports Scholarship. A coach is more apt to award a scholarship to an athlete with a 3.2 GPA than one with a 2.5, she adds, because the better grade shows higher potential. Additionally, NCAA rules limit the number of scholarships a school can hand out. Nova's baseball team, for example, has 32 players, but Mominey can offer only nine full scholarships. Strong academics can help athletes qualify for other scholarships a college might offer.

The next step is to build solid athletic fundamentals. "You're talking about something most kids have to work at three hours a day if they even want a chance at a scholarship," says Steve Adams, who helps run Triumph Basketball, a spring and summer sports league in the Dallas area. If you're not among the top echelon of athletes, he notes, then coaches look for solid skills and signs of a good work ethic colleges want to get their money's worth if they're going to cover tuition.

After preparing yourself mentally and physically, the third step is to find a school that's right for you. "It's matchmaking finding a school where you can get the most out of your college experience in the classroom and on the field," says Fran Fraschilla, a basketball analyst for ESPN and a former Division I coach.

Having several choices will improve your odds of landing a scholarship. Caden Dickerson, a college basketball star from Argyle, Texas, started with a list of over 20 colleges and eventually received a scholarship from Western Kentucky University. "The first time I noticed Western was in the NCAA tournament a couple of years ago," Dickerson says. "I looked to see where everyone was from, how old they were, when they were graduating. Once I did some research on the school's history, the education, I liked it more and more."

For many skilled athletes who feel overlooked, investing time in research can be the difference maker. "It's definitely difficult not being the best in the sport," says James Leabman, a senior and nose tackle at Needham High School in Needham, Mass. "I'm a little bit undersized [and] scouts don't necessarily come here, so I have to do my own work."

Research not only helps a student identify and prioritize choices, Mominey says, it also makes a prospect look better to a coach: "If I get an e-mail from a high school catcher who knows I've got three senior catchers, that impresses me, because Nova will need a catcher."

Show Your Interest

While coaches can get inundated with solicitations from athletes, they want to hear directly from students. "I love that," says Rhonda Riley, assistant cross-country and track coach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. "That shows they're interested. It goes a long way."

When making contact with a college coach, present all relevant information succinctly, including performance stats, GPA, and SAT scores, Riley suggests. Offer to send links to online video clips that show you in action, but be sure the clips highlight skills that address the full demands of the sport. Also, visit NCAA.org to learn the rules on recruiting and athletic scholarships and make smart use of your knowledge. For example, rules often prohibit a coach from contacting a high school prospect, but that doesn't mean the school isn't interested.

As Murphy-Wallace puts it, "I gave the University of Nevada a reason to want to have me on their team." Do the same with the school of your choice, and scholarship dollars just may follow.Posted byGood Driverat5:09 PM0comments Tuesday, June 29, 2010 Q"/>RSS

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