Question and Answer 6/1/2009

The most fulfilling aspect of doing this website is being able to answer questions and hopefully provide some quality and useful insight to their specific situation, here is a good example of some of the questions I receive. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at evan.judge@gmail.com, I am here to help!

Question: (names have been changed)

Evan,

I am currently attending a community college to obtain the credit hours I need to transfer to XYZ University(D-1AA).

As a senior,2005, I had offers to play at a few D-2 schools and a few Jucos. At the time, I was burned out from football after playing varsity since my 8th grade year and I turned down all my offers.

So now at 22 years, I can't take it anymore....I have to play ball. I've met with a strength and speed coach who can hopefully get my 40 time where it needs to be. My plan is to transfer in January to XYZ University and participate in spring training. I figure if I'm going to be in college....I might as well do this. It's gotten to the point where I have to turn off the t.v. if there's a football game on....it just makes me sad and jealous that I'm not playing.

What advice can you give me???
I'm so ready to do this but I hope I'm not getting in over my head. What can I expect? How difficult is this going to be?

Thanks for your help,

Johnny Walk-on

Response:

Johnny-

Good hearing from you. I applaud your emotion. I have a couple
questions: how long have you been in college? the reason I ask is that
once you enter any college, whether community or university, your
"NCAA clock" starts, so your eligibility starts running down.. Second,
why dont you try to transfer for the Fall and try and walk-on for this
season? if you can do it academically, you should capture your desire
now and you'll gain momentum on experience by starting sooner rather than later..

In terms of getting ready physically, don't just concentrate on 40 time
and weight room, but focus on agility and position specific drills(ie,
wide receiver: run routes, catch balls, etc).. You want to be as ready
as possible to be a football player rather than just a weight room
wonder..

I would also start contacting the coaches at XYZ and tell them of
your intentions, you'll get a good idea of where you stand and what
needs they have.. The good news is, walk-ons are free and they can be used as tackling dummies, so few get turned away.. All that is is an
opportunity to showcase yourself..

Hope this helps a bit, let me know if you have anymore questions..

Good luck!

Evan

Clay Matthews..Walk-on to Draft Day

by Karen Guregian, Boston Herald

Southern California linebacker Clay Matthews has a special place in his heart for the Cleveland Browns. Being drafted by the team his father played with for six seasons would suit him just fine.

Dad also wouldn’t complain.

But there’s another scenario that would put a smile on the face of a proud papa. Clay Matthews Sr. surely wouldn’t mind if his kid got picked up by the man who coached him in Cleveland during the early ’90s -Bill Belichick The elder Matthews, also a linebacker and four-time Pro Bowler, spent two years under Belichick in Cleveland before finishing his career in Atlanta.

“A lot of what he did defensively, I can just remember how although we didn’t do a variety of things, the things we did, we were well schooled in,” Matthews said of Belichick when reached by phone at his West Coast home. “You could pretty much expect that what was stressed in Day One would be stressed in Day 100 and Day 200. They were time-proven things that worked and gave you an opportunity to win. And if I’m looking for a system for my son, and a coach, somebody who’s going to put him in a position to be successful . . . I know with (Belichick) he’s going to be put in a position where he can succeed.”

When young Clay had his turn at the podium during the combine in Indianapolis, he politely told the media he really didn’t have any recollection of either his father playing or Belichick. He was simply too young to grasp what was happening in front of him.

“I was too young to really understand or appreciate what my father was doing at the time,” the younger Matthews said. “I think I was more interested in what food I was going to get at the game rather than watching him.”

Before Belichick’s arrival, Matthews’ Browns team was not noted for its defense. Opposing offenses had their way with the Browns, but that changed quickly.

“I think before he got there, as I recall, in 1991, I think we set a record for the most points given up in a season. I think he came in, in ’92 and ’93. And we went something like 3 games without giving up a touchdown,” Matthews Sr. said. “He did some good things in a short amount of time, and I was just impressed how everything was professionally handled. Everything from the X’s and O’s, to analyzing new talent, looking for new talent. Everything was thought out and planned out. And consequently, the team got better.”

His son has been linked with the Patriots [team stats] in some mock drafts, thanks to his ability as well as his bloodlines. His father was a Pro Bowler, his uncle Bruce Matthews was a Hall of Fame offensive lineman and his grandfather, also named Clay, played for San Francisco in the 1950s.

Belichick, also a product of a football family, appreciates players who grew up around the culture of football. He also has an eye out for kids like Matthews who, unlike many of USC’s other can’t-miss prospects at the combine, made Pete Carroll’s team as a walk-on. He went from a scrawny 166-pound redshirt freshman to a 6-foot-3, 246-pound potential first-round pick.

Matthews first made his mark on special teams before blossoming as a senior with a breakout season. The elder Matthews thought a smaller school might be a better fit for his son, but the kid was determined to be a Trojan.

“They recruited all these blue-chip players, but I don’t think he ever wavered from Day One, that he thought he could play there,” said papa Matthews, who also went to USC. “This was really his vision.”

His son played in the elephant role in USC’s 4-3 defense, a stand-up defensive end who rushed the quarterback. His father believes his son, who wears his long blond hair in a ponytail like dad used to, could easily transition into the Pats’ 3-4.

Walk-onAthletes.com Background

My name is Evan Judge and I played Wide Receiver for the University of Colorado from 2001 to 2005. I started my career at Colorado as a walk-on athlete with a dream, to earning a scholarship after two years, to starting receiver.

My story may sound unique, but my senior year at Colorado, we started 5 walk-ons or former walk-ons, including myself, our quarterback, starting safety, punter, etc. My goal is to open the lines of communication to help overlooked high school athletes attain the same success as I did.

The life of a college football walk-on

By Javier Becerra

Jaime Carvajal never played in a game during his time as a walk-on at Texas, but the Taft native still earned a ring when the Longhorns won the 2005 national championship.

Although he didn't get recruited while in high school, Carroll's Will Bonilla ended up with a scholarship two years after walking on at SMU.

Ray's Clint Gresham suffered for a year at Oklahoma and through a second shoulder surgery before transferring to TCU and being awarded a scholarship.

The stories are different, but all the same. They tell of dedication, determination and discipline, the three things that helped Carvajal survive four seasons as a member of a Division I-A football program.

"I never doubted myself," said Carvajal, a running back on the scout offense. "I wanted it to happen bad and wasn't going to take no for an answer. Growing up, I loved football. It was a lifelong goal of mine to be a part of a great program like that. It was like a dream come true. For four years I was living my dream. There's no way to explain it. Nobody can ever take that away from me."

There aren't many who can say that -- especially in South Texas.

According to the NCAA, only 5.7 percent (one in 17) of all high school seniors will go on to play football at member institutions. Thirteen local players signed to national letters of intent on National Signing Day last week, but not all do.

That didn't happen for Bonilla, Carvajal, Gresham or Flour Bluff's Drew Marcantonio, a non-scholarship player on the scout team at Texas. Wanting to keep playing, the four had only one option.

Walk on.

"I didn't get recruited much my senior year, but I always thought I had the ability to play," said Bonilla, the SMU Defensive MVP for 2007. "My family and friends backed me up, so I decided to give it a shot. I figured the best way was to go up there the summer before my freshman year and start working out."

Bonilla actually began the process by sending in a highlight tape. The Mustangs didn't have a scholarship for him, but he showed enough on the video to get an invitation to two-a-day workouts as a preferred walk-on.

Despite being there only a couple of months before the 2004 season, Bonilla made it to the scout defense as a linebacker. He was seventh on the depth chart, but not for long.

Bonilla entered the spring as a starter on special teams and moved up to third on the depth chart. He played in all 11 games that year, mostly on special teams, and finished the season with 12 tackles.

After showing more improvement the following spring, Bonilla got his scholarship. He wasn't a starter, but as part of the rotation at linebacker, Bonilla was in on about a third of the snaps.

Bonilla was still fourth on the depth chart after the spring. Then Bonilla beat out one of the three returning starters during two-a-days.

In his first season as the starter, Bonilla tied for the team lead with 82 tackles, including 12 against Arkansas State. He also had two interceptions and five tackles for a loss.

Bonilla wasn't sure if he would ever get a chance. Once he did, he made the most if it.

"I don't think I ever doubted myself," Bonilla said. "I didn't know if the coaches would give me an opportunity. It was possible that I'd never get one. When I finally did I took off and never looked back."

Just like Gresham did after leaving Oklahoma.

Gresham didn't get recruited until October of his senior year. The Sooners called, but not to offer a scholarship.

TCU wanted to give Gresham a full ride, but he had already attended his first game in Norman. His mind was made up.

All that followed were empty promises.

"It was just one excuse after another," said Gresham, a deep snapper. "I wasn't happy there. It didn't feel like I mattered. I didn't feel like the coaches respected me. They really misrepresented themselves. They said they wanted to see me through the spring. Well, spring came around and I did great, but nothing. Then they said they wanted to see me through the summer. After the summer came and went, they said they wanted to see me through the season. By then I had enough of it."

Luckily, TCU was still interested.

As a transfer, Gresham was required to sit out the 2006 season. He used the time to recover from a second surgery on his left shoulder, which he first had operated for a torn labrum during his senior year at King.

Finally healed, Gresham proved his worth during last season and was offered a scholarship in January. Although Gresham basically had to start all over again, he didn't mind.

"They really made me feel welcome at TCU," Gresham said. "I had complete faith that they were going to give me a scholarship. It just felt right. All the hard work really paid off."

WILL BONILLA

College: SMU (2004-present)

High School: Carroll

Noteworthy: A preferred walk-on, Bonilla eventually earned a scholarship and was named the teams Defensive MVP after tying for the team lead in tackles last season.

JAIME CARVAJAL

College: Texas (2004-07)

High School: Taft

Noteworthy: Although he never played in a game at Texas, Carvajal was a part of the program four years and won a national championship ring as a member of the 2005 team.

CLINT GRESHAM

College:Oklahoma (2005), TCU (2006-present)

High School: Ray

Noteworthy: Despite a negative experience as a walk-on at Oklahoma, Gresham didnt give up and went on to receive a scholarship at TCU.

Tips from the walk-ons

HOME VIDEO

It helps to have a highlight tape for coaches to see.

Get out and get some exposure, Rays Clint Gresham said. One day my dad and I got a video camera and went up to Ray. He taped about 20 snaps and sent them out to everybody.

It definitely helped Carrolls Will Bonilla.

Once they saw my tape they called and said they would like for me to walk on, Bonilla said.

PHONE WORK

Bonilla said its OK to run up the bill as long as you get your name out there.

We stayed in contact with the recruiters all the time, he said. We were constantly calling.

WORK HARD

If youre not really that serious about it, dont bother.

You cant just go out there and do what they tell you, Tafts Jaime Carvajal said. You have to put time and effort into your workouts. You have to show them you are ready. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

Javier Becerra

Contact Javier Becerra at 886-3734 or becerraj@caller.com

Is The Grass Greener?

The Scholarship Divide...It’s Not an Adventure, It’s a Job


By BILL PENNINGTON, NY TIMES


A few months into her first year at Villanova, Stephanie Campbell
was despondent.

As a high school senior in New Jersey, she had been thrilled to
receive a $19,000 athletic scholarship to play field hockey at
Villanova University, a select, private institution outside
Philadelphia. But she had not counted on the 7 a.m. start of every
class day, something required so she could be in the locker room by
noon to prepare for a four-hour shift of afternoon practices and
weight-lifting sessions. Travel to games forced her to miss exams
and classes. There were also mandatory team meetings, study halls
and weekend practices.

She was overwhelmed.

“Plus, her roommate had a typical college student’s social life,
while Stephanie was in her room on weekend nights trying to sleep
because she had a game the next day,” her mother, Kathleen Campbell,
said last month. “She came home crying.”

So Kathleen Campbell sat her daughter down, waited for a break in
the sobs and said: “Villanova costs more than $40,000 a year to
attend. They’re paying you $19,000 to play field hockey. At your
age, there is no one out there anywhere who is going to pay you that
kind of money to do anything. And that’s how you have to look at
this: It’s a job, but it’s a great job.”

Campbell, 22, kept at it all four years, serving as a team captain
last fall while majoring in marketing. She is expected to graduate
this spring.

“I’m missing the sport terribly already,” she said last month. “But
it was a ton of work. Receiving an athletic scholarship is a
wonderful thing, but most of us only know what we’re getting, not
what we’re getting into.”

Dozens of scholarship athletes at N.C.A.A. Division I institutions
said in interviews that they had underestimated how taxing and
hectic their lives would be playing college sports. They also said
others share a common misperception that athletes lead a privileged
existence.

“You know, maybe if you’re a scholarship football player at
Oklahoma, everything is taken care of for you,” Tim Poydenis, a
scholarship baseball player at Villanova, said. “But most of us are
nonrevenue-sport athletes who have to do our own fund-raising just
to pay for basics like sweat pants and batting gloves. We miss all
these classes, which obviously doesn’t help us or make our
professors happy. We give up almost all our free time. Our social
life is stripped bare.

“Friday happy hour or spring break? Forget it. I haven’t had a
spring break since I was a sophomore in high school.”

The athletes were interviewed over several weeks from a cross
section of sports at two representative Division I institutions,
Villanova, a charter member of the Big East Conference, and the
University of Delaware, a state-run institution that is a member of
the Colonial Athletic Association. None of the athletes asked for or
expected sympathy. They know there are many overscheduled college
students who devote extra hours to academic and extracurricular
activities or part-time jobs and internships.

“We love what we do, and it is worth it,” Poydenis said. “But
everybody thinks every college athlete is on a pampered full ride.
The truth is a lot of us are getting $4,000 and working our butts
off for it.”

The life of the scholarship athlete is so arduous that coaches and
athletes said it was not unusual for as many as 15 percent of those
receiving athletic aid to quit sports and turn down the scholarship
money after a year or two.

“I came in with 10 recruited girls,” Stephanie Campbell said. “There
are four of us left as seniors. Not everyone was on scholarship, but
maybe half who left were getting money.”

Campbell said she had a teammate who wanted to be an engineer but
that the classes and off-campus projects in that major clashed with
field hockey practices and trips.

Katie Lee, a senior softball player at Delaware, said at least one
scholarship player had quit the team in each of her seasons. Of her
former teammates, she said, “I see them around campus, and they look
happy.”

Emily Schaknowski, a sophomore lacrosse player on athletic
scholarship at Delaware, said 5 of the 12 women she entered with
were no longer on the team. Most had relinquished their scholarships.

Joe Taylor, a junior soccer player at Villanova, said he was one of
four left from a freshman recruiting class of 10.

“You wonder if you should try to talk them out of it,” Taylor
said. “But for most of those guys, it probably is the best decision
to walk away.”

At Villanova, Poydenis said he thought the defections resulted from
the shock that set in after a youth sports culture ethos collided
with the realities of college athletics.

“Kids who have worked their whole life trying to get a scholarship
think the hard part is over when they get the college money,” he
said. “They don’t know that it’s a whole new monster when you get
here.”

His coach, Joe Godri, says he tries to warn recruits before they
accept athletic aid. He tells them that being a Division I student-
athlete is a full-time job. “It’s not even close to being a normal
college student,” Godri said.

The Division I athletes interviewed indicated they devoted at least
four hours a day to their sport, not counting the time it takes to
play or to travel to games. Classes must be scheduled in the early
morning to free the afternoon for practices and games. Practices
often last from 4 to 6:30 p.m., although several athletes talked
about how they had to arrive early for treatment of injuries or to
have old injuries taped or harnessed. Highly competitive, demanding
practices come next.

There is often a team dinner, perhaps a short meeting and a
mandatory study hall in some cases. Weekday away games, which are
common, can mean a bus ride that begins at 1 p.m. and a return trip
that reaches campus at 10 p.m.

“You come back to your dorm room ready to crash,” Taylor said. “But
you’ve got homework or maybe a test the next morning. The rest of
the dorm is starting to get a little rowdy because those guys have
all finished their homework. They might be getting ready to go out.
A lot of them took a nap in the afternoon.”

College athletes routinely said there was one accouterment not often
mentioned in recruiting trips but essential to the athlete’s
equipment bag: ear plugs.

“They help you sleep on those nights when you have a game the next
day,” Jamie Flynn, a junior soccer player at Delaware, said.

Many athletes tend to gather together in off-campus housing, so at
least their apartment is quieter on the nights before games. Most
teams have a rule prohibiting alcohol 48 hours before a game. The
Villanova field hockey team, for example, pledges to not to drink
alcohol for the entire season.

And the players police other teammates who might not be abiding by
the rules about partying before games or practices. Jillian Loyden,
a senior All-Big East goalie on Villanova’s soccer team, said it was
usually first-year players who slipped up.

“They get to college and want to be normal college students on a
Friday night,” said Loyden, who has raided parties to usher first-
year teammates out of a building so they would head home to
bed. “You have to make them understand that our team is not a social
club.”

Athletes from the nonrevenue sports also customarily have to do
extra work on campus to raise money to pay for equipment or apparel
not normally financed by the athletic department, like warm-up
jackets. Cortney Barry, a scholarship swimmer at Delaware, cut short
her Thanksgiving Day break at home last year because the swim team
had agreed to clean the garbage from the football stadium bleachers
to pay for some expenses.

For this and other reasons, college athletes often refer to students
who are nonathletes as “normals” or “regulars.” When asked why,
Stephanie Campbell answered, “Because we’re not normal.”

“Look, we are fortunate to be athletes and to get tuition money to
do it,” Campbell added. “I have loved my time here. I’m going to get
a prestigious degree, and I know there are a lot of people who would
have wanted to trade places with me. But I’d still say Division I
athletics is not meant for everybody. Nobody tells you that.”

Campbell, who was an All-Big East selection in her final season, has
gone back to her hometown, Gibbsboro in South Jersey, to help coach
the club team she played for as a youngster.

“I worry about the kids I see now, because they’re under so much
stress to get something out of field hockey,” she said. “You can
never lose sight of why you play. Yes, I got a scholarship, but in
the end, I put up with the sore muscles, lost sleep and everything
else because I loved playing that much.”

These days, she is trying to make up for lost time on the business
networking front, attending vocational seminars and fairs aimed at
easing college graduates into the workplace. It is a new game for
Campbell.

“Well, I’m graduating in May,” she said. “I need a job.”

Not Quite a Walk-on, But Close..

Wes Walker, receiver for the New England Patriots, led the NFL with 112 catches this year. Now, is Wes a former Walk-On? No, however, his story is remarkable enough that is characterizes what it takes to succeed. His story proves that no one has the right to tell you no, whether it be your high school coach, college recruiters, or future NFL owners..

(I would also like to thank Wes personally for taking 1 of his 8 career punt returns for TDs back on Colorado in 2003)

By Elizabeth Merrill, ESPN

She went to her bedroom and cried that night, not because of what the man said but because she knew the whole world was wrong. One hundred and five faxes, 104 "no"s, and it was about to end there, on a harsh winter day, when Wes Welker sat at a long table at the University of Tulsa. All he wanted was a scholarship.

If you sign Wes, his mama said, you won't be sorry. If you sign Wes, he'll change your program. The coach turned to Shelley Welker and sized up her 5-foot-9 son.

"Well, my mother would like me to be head coach of the Dallas Cowboys," Keith Burns told her. "But that isn't going to happen."

This is not a story about a little man playing on the world's biggest stage. That's too cliché. It is about doors. The glass front door at the Welker home is open late Wednesday afternoon, and Wes' chocolate Lab, Nash, is lounging in the backyard. It is not a coincidence that he named the dog after Suns point guard Steve Nash, who also happens to knock around in a 180-pound body.

It is not a surprise that everyone in the Welker home has a problem sitting still. Every five minutes or so, Leland, Wes' dad, stands up and asks his guests whether they need anything to drink. He's got Coke, Coke Zero, diet, milk, water. Are you sure you don't want to try the Coke Zero?

He finally sits back down and eyes a magazine on the table that has Welker's stubbled, GQ face on the cover. It's almost too East Coast for Wes.

"It's been hard for us to talk," Leland says in a soft Oklahoma twang. "I feel like we're bragging about our kids. I hope I'm not coming across as overbearing."

Shelley and Leland Welker, at home with a portrait of Wes.

They'd prefer to be low-key because that's the way Welker has been throughout his career. It's impossible now. Nine years after college football shunned him, four years after the Chargers cut him, Welker is a mega star headed for the Super Bowl with New England.

He is a perfect fit, finally, in a world that measures itself with tapes, scales and 40-yard dashes. He is a big reason the Patriots are 18-0 and flirting with NFL history.

And none of it would have happened if Welker had accepted one no.

"We tried to teach that, to run after your dreams, don't let people tell you no," Shelley says.

"That's why it's such a great story. When one door would close, another one would open."

---

A car door opened, and Wes Welker eyeballed his first challenge. He was 2, maybe 3 days old and meeting his big brother, Lee, for the first time. Lee raised his 4-year-old fingers and pinched Wes in the nose. Hard.

"You can't do that!" Shelley said.

Welker, at the age of 4, had a bunny named "Thumper."

Lee was just tweaking him, which became sort of a childhood hobby. Big boy kicks little boy's butt in soccer. Little boy gets clobbered in football. Big boy's mom asks him to go easy.

"Are you kidding me?" Lee says. "I would never, never let him win. And he had to get used to it. Either he was going to have to quit playing the sport of football or soccer or whatever he happened to be playing that day, or he had to get better and tougher."

Lee was actually the tame one in the family. Wes was 2½ when he climbed his first tree and sat on the roof until Leland pulled in from work. Incredible balance, unlimited energy. "Hell on wheels from the get-go," Leland says.

When Welker reached high school at Heritage Hall, a private college prep school that oozes manners, he was both exasperating and entertaining. He'd play offense, defense and special teams in practice, then dive to the line on wind sprints because no sir, he was not going to be beat.

He'd vomit at least every other week during a game. Coach Rod Warner still has it on film. See Wes run 50 yards for a touchdown, charge back onto the field to kick the extra point, then turn and ask for a minute so he can throw up on the 10-yard line.

"It wasn't nerves," Warner says. "He just pushed his body so hard.

"The people in the stands would just start applauding. He gave it all every single drill, every sprint, every play."

He became a legend in the red Oklahoma clay. Before Welker, Heritage Hall had just one 10-win season in 30 years. It has averaged 11 wins a year since. Welker led them to a state championship as a junior and scored 24 points a game as a senior … in football.

And when he was named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year, his followers assumed he was headed for the big time. They didn't know prototypes. Being 5-9 was one thing. Being 5-9 with a 4.55 40-yard dash is enough to make you recruiting repellent.

Rod Warner, Welker's high school coach in Oklahoma City, still calls or texts him at least once a week.

The weekend before letter-of-intent day, Warner sent out 105 faxes. "This kid is still available," he said, "if anyone is interested."

He called Tommy McVay, an old friend who was working at Texas Tech.

"Tommy, he's the best player I've ever coached."

Everybody says that, McVay said.

But Tech coach Mike Leach, a spread-offense guru known around Big 12 circles as the mad scientist, tried to open his mind as he popped in the video.

"You go through the internal debate the whole time," Leach says. "Wow, he's just a little too small, ooh, he's a little too slow … oh, he plays both sides of the ball?"

Welker flew to Lubbock after signing day while Leland and Shelley followed by car. Something felt right, she'd say. Like Wes was meant to be there.

Within weeks after school started, the Tech coaches were calling Welker "The Natural."

"Everybody," Leach says, "seemed to feel like he could do anything."

---

As Welker's numbers exploded and the legend grew, people outside of Lubbock, Texas, wanted to know more about his will. He didn't get his tenacity as the son of an oil-rig worker whose family ate when it could. His dad was an engineer for Southwestern Bell.

He never was one for much introspection. Wasn't much time for it. But he could flip from game-day serious to prankster, leaving fake dog poo at shopping malls just to watch people laugh.

"I remember when they brought him in, he was 5-7 and very unassuming," says former Red Raiders quarterback Kliff Kingsbury. "I thought he looked like a frat guy. We're offering this kid a scholarship? Definitely on looks, he didn't pass the test. But on the field, he was an unbelievable kid."

Welker, with his brother Lee and parents Leland and Shelley in 2001, was a last-minute signee for Texas Tech.

Within a few months, Welker was in the starting lineup as a true freshman. In four years, he caught 259 passes for 3,019 yards and 21 touchdowns. His eight career punt-return touchdowns still tie an NCAA record. He played most of his senior year with turf toe, an injury so painful Welker hobbled around campus in a protective boot on the off days.

Nobody, it seemed, could get a hard shot on him. Part of it had to do with his size and a low center of gravity. Much of it had to do with his shiftiness. Although Leach considers hailing the merits of soccer as sacrilege, he figures Welker got his coordination, horizontal movement and vision from the round version of football.

Welker figured heavily into every opponents' scouting report, and when he graduated from Texas Tech in 3½ years with a business degree, he was certain he was headed to the NFL.

The NFL combine came, and Welker wasn't invited. In hindsight, his supporters say, maybe that was better. They couldn't put a tape and a stopwatch to him. Forty freaking yard dashes? In football, who runs in a straight line, anyway?

But the Welkers held two days of draft parties in 2004, and the house grew silent when the final pick was named.

If this doesn't work out, Warner told him, there are other …

"Don't even go there, Coach," Welker told Warner. "I'm going to make it in the NFL. There's no other option."

---

The Chargers kept him through training camp, and Welker thought that meant he was safe. They cut him after the first game. One friend says Welker is "massively pissed off" at San Diego to this day, although Welker has never publicly suggested that.

The Dolphins gave Welker a chance after the Chargers cut him.

He quickly moved on to Miami, and a month later, Welker became just the second player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt, kick a field goal and an extra point, and make a tackle in one game. He did it against the Patriots and a coach who just happens to love that kind of throwback versatility. The Patriots churned on; the Dolphins continued their stumble.

Few people noticed that Welker was evolving into a go-to receiver. He led the Dolphins with 67 catches in 2006. The Super Bowl was held in Miami a few months later, and Warner went to South Beach that week to hang with Welker.

They sat at breakfast, the Monday after the Colts beat Chicago, and Welker asked whether his coach ever wanted to go to another Super Bowl.

"Wes, the next Super Bowl I'll go to is the one you're playing in," Warner said.

That might be a while in Miami, Welker said.

Two months later, Warner's cell phone rang at 1 a.m. Welker had just been traded to the Patriots.

"You know that conversation we had at the Super Bowl?" Welker asked Warner.

"Did you ever think it might be this year?"

---

He is so perfect here, in the land of no-nonsense. Men with stern faces walk around with purpose, as if they're headed to the bank to open an IRA … minutes after they've won a playoff game. Welker quickly dresses after New England beats San Diego, the team that never gave him a chance, and heads for the door without talking to the media.

By Week 6, when the Patriots prepared for a superhyped game against Dallas, it was obvious that Welker, 26, was immersed in his surroundings. He'd gotten a text message from his brother, Lee. Big game coming up, huh? Wes texted back: They're all big.

Wes, the family joked, was turning into Bill Belichick.

A sampling of some recent Welker "sound bites":

When you did you feel you belonged in the NFL, Wes?

"I guess once I made the team."

What do you say about the Giants calling you guys a dirty team?

Welker is one of the smallest players on the roster, but his size is no limitation.

"It's their opinion about it, and we can only control what we can control."

But it's not so odd that an undersized frat boy from Oklahoma and a man who is viewed as one of the stuffiest coaches in the NFL could be kindred spirits. Belichick wants a team full of role players. Welker fought half his life just for a role.

And while defenses keyed on stopping Randy Moss, the 6-foot-4 superstar receiver whose offseason signing overshadowed all other arrivals, Welker had a franchise-record 112 catches.

"Perfect place, the perfect situation for him," says veteran running back Kevin Faulk. "I told him when he first got here that he couldn't have come to an offense that was better for him, that fits his ability and what he does as a receiver."

---

A whiff of hamburger grease fills the aisles at the Nichols Hills pharmacy just before closing time, and Jay Black is about to cut the lights. His dad started the business in 1963, and it seems time, in this patch of a strip mall, has frozen there. Past the miniature metal stools and the retro napkin holders is a soda fountain and a rack of Groucho Marx DVDs for $2.99.

Welker used to ride his bike here as a kid, load up on hamburgers and chili, and charge the food to his parents. All the little kids did it. When big Wes comes back now, he'll order his $3.50 hamburger and have the same ladies behind the same counter bill it to his dad. The Welkers get a kick out of that.

"It wasn't really a big deal when he was coming in here," Black says. "We knew he was a good ballplayer. But he didn't necessarily stick out over the rest of the kids."

In this suddenly perfect world, he doesn't need to. They pray for him a few blocks up the road, in the Welker home, that he'll be safe among 300-pounders and 6-foot-3 burners who belong in the league.

Here, they always believed Wes belonged, too.

"It was all part of God's plan, and we know that," Shelley says. "It worked out just like it was supposed to."

Wednesday, February 6, 2008.. Black Wednesday!

Black Wednesday is quickly approaching, are you ready?

Black Wednesday is the National Letter of Intent Day for College Football, i.e. Signing Day.. This is the day where all the highly touted recruits sign on the dotted line as to where they will receive a scholarship to play football.

I admit, this was a very tough day for me back in high school. The guys I grew up playing against and with were on the news and in the papers for their commitments and I was left wondering, "what do I do now?" You have two choices, let it get you down, or do something about it. Make February 7th the first day of your recruiting.

After signing day, coaches will now have a pretty good idea of what their team looks like, they have every position broken down and know where they need guys. They also have a good idea of the total amount of guys that they will have for next season(+/- players who will transfer, quit, etc)

This is now the time to start talking seriously about walking-on, and more importantly, getting invited to camp. As I previously posted, camp is a very important aspect of walking-on, it gives you an immediate advantage and will provide a serious foundation for your future. However, camp is limited to 105 players, 85 of which obviously go to scholarship players. So, you have to battle for 20 spots not only with the walk-ons currently on the team, but new guys trying to do the same as you.

As February 6 approaches, do not let it detour you away from your goals. This is the time to start making some serious decisions about your future.

Remember, people will soon forget about signing day, but they will not forget about all the plays you will soon make for their favorite team!

Good Luck!

A Long Walk To Glory

By: A.J. Carr, Lorenzo Perez, J.P. Giglio, and Jaymer Powell, Jr. at http://www.newsobserver.com


The life of a college football walk-on is usually more grueling than glamorous. He arrives with a dream, not a scholarship.

Some walk-ons wind up playing prominent roles on Saturdays. But many linger in the shadows, contributing as scout-team fodder.

Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, the former Notre Dame player who became the most celebrated walk-on ever, has some advice: Have a goal, whether it is to earn a scholarship, be part of the team or become an inspiration.

Ruettiger, whose story was told in the movie "Rudy," had a boyhood dream to play for the Fighting Irish. In his final game, he played 27 seconds, sacked the quarterback on the last play and was carried off the field.

"If I hadn't practiced every day like I was going to play, that last play would have never happened," said Ruettiger, who now is a motivational speaker.

Most walk-ons don't gain "Rudy" fame, yet they still can have rewarding experiences. And college football coaches, with 85 scholarships to give, are glad to have the extra bodies. Plus, some walk-ons eventually earn scholarships.

As the college season winds down, take a look at several walk-ons who have refused to walk off or give up.

RUSS DUBISKY

QB, N.C. STATE, SR.

Russ Dubisky started his college football career as a backup quarterback at Catawba, heard there was some guy named Philip Rivers rewriting the N.C. State record book and naturally thought, "That's where I need to be."

Dubisky, from Asheboro, was under no illusion that he would steal playing time from Rivers or any other Wolfpack quarterback when he arrived in Raleigh in 2002. But being in the state capital served the political science major's needs.

"I didn't try to kid myself at all. I knew that it was definitely going to be a role change, that playing time was going to be a major uphill battle," said Dubisky, a 6-foot scout-team veteran.

He earned some special teams playing time Sept. 17 against Eastern Kentucky. He has spent the rest of his State football career on the practice field, serving as a scout-team version of rivals such as Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson.

Dubisky spent the summer of 2004 working at Sen. Elizabeth Dole's Raleigh office. This past summer, he completed an internship with the state Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. Monday, he didn't allow himself to think about the possibility that his college football career could end with a loss Saturday against Maryland.

"I'm going to do my best just to soak everything in and try to remember every minute of everything," he said. "Because I know I'm not going to get another chance."

(Lorenzo Perez)

WALLACE WRIGHT

SPECIAL TEAMS, NORTH CAROLINA, SR.

North Carolina's Wallace Wright didn't develop an inferiority complex because he wasn't on football scholarship as a freshman in 2002.

"I knew I could play with everybody,'' he said.

Wright was right.

Wright, whose father, Wallace, played for baseball's Montreal Expos in the 1970s, grew up in Florida and finished high school in Fayetteville. He had planned to walk on at Florida but decided he had a better shot at playing at UNC.

Given a chance, he made the most of it.

Flashing speed and reckless abandon in practice, he earned a spot on the special teams and averaged 21.5 yards per kick return as a freshman.

Wright, now a 6-foot, 197-pound senior on scholarship, has played receiver, sparkled as a kick returner and served as special teams captain this season. He also earned the nickname "Smooth" for his dapper attire.

His highlights have made ESPN's SportsCenter, most recently on Nov. 5 when he rambled 90 yards on the opening kickoff as Carolina beat Boston College, 16-14.

"I like to have the ball in my hands,'' said Wright, on pace to graduate with a degree in exercise and sports science. "I like making tackles, too. [He has nine]. Some wide receivers don't like to tackle. My interest is in winning."

Wright won't play Saturday at Virginia Tech. His career ended prematurely in this past Saturday's win over Duke when he fractured an ankle while catching a pass.

But, overall, his college experience went much smoother than that of many walk-ons.

(A.J. Carr)

KEVIN CRONIN

QB, DUKE, JR.

You can't miss Kevin Cronin on Duke's sideline. He's the quarterback wearing No. 88. He's also in charge of signaling the plays to the quarterback in the huddle.

Cronin is one of 19 walk-ons at Duke who pay more than $40,000 each year to go to school and play football.

A junior from Middleton, Wis., Cronin either wants to be a football coach or go to law school. He figured Duke, even at the high cost, was his best option.

"I think it's worth the investment in my future," said Cronin, who takes out student loans to pay his way. "Money's a huge consideration, but you only have one time to play college football. I had to take that opportunity."

At 6 feet and 170 pounds, Cronin is undersized for a Division I-AA quarterback, let alone one in the ACC. But his knowledge of the game and work ethic have endeared him to the team. This season, he was entrusted with creating the signals for the plays. He'll flap his arms like a bird on one play and twirl his wrist like he's making an omelet on another.

"It's almost looks like a dance," Cronin said. "Every word in the play needs a signal. It gets pretty involved."

As for the conspicuous number -- illegal for a quarterback --Cronin said originally he wore No. 6 but then underwent three surgeries to his left knee. He wasn't expected to return to practice this season, so all of the low numbers had been doled out.

Next year, he said he'll have a different number and a new responsibility when he is the holder on kicks. That will give his parents, Kevin and Patti, a better reason to continue their 34-hour round-trip commute from Wisconsin each week to watch Duke.

His parents also would like to see another addition next season.

"They've definitely pushed me to get a scholarship," Cronin said. "But they're really proud I chose Duke."

(J.P. Giglio)

PHILLIP HENRY

WR, ECU, SO.

East Carolina wide receiver Phillip Henry said his life has changed dramatically since he joined the Pirates last season as a walk-on. But, although Henry has become one of ECU's better receivers, he credits the hard life of a walk-on with making him successful now.

"When I first came out, I had to do a lot of stuff against the first-team defense [on the scout team]," Henry said. "That got me ready for this year."

Henry is the third-leading receiver on the team, with 22 catches for 340 yards and a touchdown. Those are numbers Henry said many of his recruited teammates didn't think he could post when he arrived as a walk-on. They know better now.

"At first, people look at you funny because you're different than everybody else," Henry said. "But when you make a couple of plays, people start expecting you to make more plays."

(Jaymes Powell, Jr.)

MICHAEL SIMMONS

LB, WAKE FOREST, SO.

It would have been easy for Michael Simmons to walk off at Wake Forest.

After shoulder surgery, he missed spring practice and summer workouts. Not on scholarship, he also pays $39,510 in tuition and faces a challenging academic situation. But he was one of roughly 100 players who showed up for practice in August.

"You've got to do something spectacular to get noticed," said Simmons, a 225-pound sophomore who put his heart -- and shoulder -- into the game. The result: He earned a spot on Wake's kickoff and kickoff return team this season.

A three-sport athlete in high school in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Simmons made his first college tackle in Wake's victory over Duke and remembers how excited he felt running off the field after that hit.

"We didn't know if he would contribute at all,'' Wake coach Jim Grobe said. "Once he bounced back from surgery, he did some good things on the scout team. Next thing, we plugged him in. He made good progress for a walk-on kid."

Simmons' goal is to earn a scholarship to play linebacker while pursuing a degree in business and accounting.

"I've put on a little weight,'' said the determined Deacon, who has gained 25 pounds since his freshman year. "I'm looking forward to playing as a backup or in reserve role."

Questions & Answers 2

As stated before, I like to post questions and answers and hope it may answer the questions for other student-athletes who are going through the same thing.

1. I am a Senior in High School and I am looking to stay in shape for the upcoming season. I want to be prepared, so can you recommend any specific workouts that are a liitle more advanced than what my PE Coach has going for me? I play Linebacker and Tight End...but want to concentrate on Linebacker or maybe Defensive End.

Good question. This answer depends on what type of person you are. If you think you are mature enough to work out on your own, then I would sit down and map out a set schedule to get you prepared for next fall. If you are planning on playing TE or DE in college, I would definitely hit the weight room hard. Since it is still early, I would recommend hitting the weight room 3 days per week, maybe using your old high school program to help you gain strength, weight, and muscle mass. I would devote the other 2 days to conditioning and agility drills. Not only should you condition for stamina, but you should devote time to agility drills and position specific drills(ie cones drills, quickness drills, etc) As the season gets closer, step up your intensity.

If you do not think you have the self-discipline to stick to a strict work-out, I would suggest training at a Sports Performance type facility that caters to athletes in your position. They are very effective at preparing athletes for all sorts of situations. Ask around and find out what program is the best!

If you already have a school picked out and the coaches know you are coming, I would suggest training with the team during their summer work-outs. Not only will you have a longer time to absorb what college football is all about, you will be better prepared mentally and physically for the upcoming season. This may sound intimidating at first, but it is actually quite normal and will give you a HUGE advantage!

All hail THE Random Walk-Ons

Thanks to Woody Paige from the Denver Post for this article.

NEW ORLEANS — THE Random Walk-Ons — my new posse, entourage and homies — strolled Bourbon Street two nights back — casually dressed because the Ohio State coaches wanted the players to maintain a low profile in the French Quarter — and every time they spotted LSU players, who were outfitted in official purple, the Duplicate Number Boys would act like they were fans of the Bayou Bengals and ask if they could pose for cellphone photos with them.

When you never get to play, especially in a national championship game, it's the little things in life that amuse you and make you happy.

"It was great fun," Kyle Ruhl said Saturday morning.

Ruhl and a dozen other Buckeyes were sitting in the lower stands at the Superdome, off to the side of the other players, on Media Day, and nobody was interviewing or videotaping them.

I gravitated in their direction.

"You look like the saddest group I've ever seen."

"No," Ruhl replied, "we are THE (capital "THE" as in "THE Ohio State University") Random Walk-Ons. We're happy. We're at the championship game."

Notice he didn't say "playing in the championship game."

The Random Walk-Ons are a whole bunch of guys who could be named "Rudy."

"You must be a kicker," I said to Ruhl, No. 15, a double-digit he shares with another player.

I checked later. Ruhl is listed at 6-feet-1, 163 pounds.

If he ate creole and Cajun food and pralines and pecan pie all day long, he wouldn't weigh 150 pounds.

"Punter?" No. "Defensive back? "You're 0-for-3."

"OK, what position do you play?"

"I'm a wide receiver," he said proudly.

He's a junior from Powell, Ohio.

"How many passes have you caught in your career?"

"Uh, none."

A fellow R.W-O. said: "But he has good grades." Majoring in Family Restaurant Management. (Huh? "Do you want fries with that burger?")

"Won't matter," Ruhl, who seemed to be the spokesman for this tightly knit collection of players who don't play. "If we win Monday night, in 10 years, people will stare at my national championship ring, and I can say I was a member of the team that beat LSU in 2008."

Another of the Duplicate Number Boys (because the Buckeyes have more than 100 players on the traveling squad) used to play minor-league baseball, and the others include a fifth-string quarterback, a seventh-string running back and one more with an undecided major and an undetermined position.

I sat in the middle of them for an hour and said: "There'll be more cameras and press over here than you can shake a stick at."

Soon, cameras showed up. I was asked about the DVD, which apparently is more popular than the Paris and the Pamela home movies.

It has been reported nationally that coach Jim Tressel is using me and several other media Bozos as motivational tools for the Buckeyes. Why do I always get in trouble?

For Christmas, Tressel sent each player, even my peeps, a present — a DVD of ESPN commentators criticizing Ohio State's football team.

I honestly don't remember ripping the Buckeyes. But memory does not always serve.

"Oh, you're on there," said one of my walk-on peeps. "You thought our schedule was too easy. You talked about how we got beat by Florida last year and didn't deserve to be here this year. It wasn't so bad. There was worse."

"I take it all back," I said.

"Who's going to win?" asked a player from Hubbard or Boardman or Kitts Hill or one of those small Ohio towns.

"THE Ohio State wins in quadruple overtime," I replied, and they cheered. "But I'll tell the LSU players the same thing when they're here."

THE Random Walk-Ons were thinking about where they would stand on the sideline Monday night to get the best view of the game. "Maybe a lot of Buckeyes will get injured in the game, and you'll all get in and lead the victory in overtime," I said in order to get them excited. "Sure," one said. "About 75 of them would have to get hurt for that to happen."

I love these guys. We can relate to them. They're not on scholarship. They practice every day with the team and don't get to play on Saturdays or in a national championship game, and they don't even get a letter.

Ruhl gestured toward the players who were being interviewed. "See him. He was one of us when the season started, but he got a scholarship, gets into games and will get a letter. He doesn't have anything to do with us now," he said.

However, one player in the third row said: "I've been here for five years." Literally, a fifth-year senior and five-year redshirt.

I last saw Ohio State play Texas and Vince Young in Columbus in 2005. "That was the greatest game I've ever seen," Ruhl said. This will be the 38th Ohio State game he will see — up close.

Wouldn't it be nice if the Duplicate Number Boys were put in the game in the fourth quarter?

I went over to Tressel and asked him about THE Random Walk-Ons.

"They look like a bunch of lonely players," he said.

Tonight, THEY probably will have a water balloon fight.