Questions & Answers

One of the best parts of doing this website is to help real life people who have real life questions. Sure, I can find out how many people visit this site and all the other technical data(do not worry, I cannot find out specifically who visits, just general data) but I get the most satisfaction when I get questions regarding their situation. I hope this helps answer some questions that you may have about the walk-on process. Here is an example of the latest round of questions I have gotten and the answers I gave.

1) Were you a preferred walk-on and attended pre-season camp with scholarship athletes or did your try-out at the beginning of the fall semester or wait until spring practice?

I'm not sure if I would have called myself "preferred," however I did attend camp. Attending camp is one of the reasons I chose CU because that makes a HUGE difference, that should be a top priority because you get a better feel for the team, program, teammates, etc.. and you do not feel AS left out..

2) If you had a DII scholarship offer would you have still walked-on at CU?

Yes, I was looking for a big program, I felt it was go big or go home.. I came from a very successful high school program and did not want to play in front of less people than I did in high school, and/or have it be less of a deal.. However, that was just my opinion in regards to my drive, passion, etc..
I rolled the dice and it worked out, however I did my research and knew the opportunities were there, if the DII program has better opportunities, then definitely consider it.

3) Politics? Please explain your experiences if applicable.

Politics is a very broad subject, hard to explain in general circumstances. There are politics in anything, including football, however it is hard to generalize that subject.

4) Do coaches and those involved in the program accept that recruiting is far from an exact science? Do they recognize that money is wasted on some scholarships?

Yes, you are right, it is very widely known that recruiting is not an exact science. Recruiting is just like an other business that there are definite lapses of quality processes and effort.. Laziness can also reflect recruiting, which unfortunately, many coaches are!
Yes, it is very evident from DAY ONE if a player is not worthy of a scholarship, players and coaches recognize it from the first day he steps on campus.. However, it is a catch 22 situation in that if I was offered a scholarship, I would take it and run with it. You cannot step onto campus without the confidence that you belong.

5) Stick-to-it-ness must be important. You were rewarded with your effort. Is that the norm? I know talent speaks for itself.

Yes effort is noticed, but you also must need to bring something to the table, you have to find your niche and get on the field somehow(usually on special teams at first) Effort from a walk-on is a must, a high level of effort at that! The last thing a walk-on can be is lazy, if they get wind of laziness, you are done..
Most coaches will reward effort, but they will also reward players who stick it out, if they stick it out all 5 years, rarely do walk-ons NOT get a scholarship by the time they are done.(getting one sooner rather than later is the key)

6) Was your HS coach vital in your success and what role did he play?

No, my high school coach was worthless in this avenue, I did everything on my own.

7) Did you have a list of schools or "flood the market" far any opportunity? You picked CU, a big time program! Was CU recruiting you out of HS? Did you attend football camp there? Or was major college football the objective?

I had very little interest to even walk-on at most schools, and CU was one of the few that gave me that opportunity other than just a letter that said "if you would like to walk-on blah blah." I had constant conversations with them throughout the whole process.. Even scarier, I did not get my first call from CU until February of my SENIOR YEAR.. But when he called he was serious about the whole process.. Major college football was my objective and CU met those requirements.. This just shows that its never too late to fulfill your dream!

8) Talk a little about your training before walking-on.

I should have trained a lot more, I did quite a bit of weight room stuff, but I did very little agility and plyo's.. Also, I did VERY LITTLE catching the football and running routes, which KILLED ME during my first camp.. I went from having great hands in high school to having very poor hands in college my first camp(the ball comes A LOT faster in college).. So I definitely missed the boat on that.. I would tell your son to take a month or two off after the season, regroup, enjoy high school and then get after it..Also, if he decides to play, ask to join the team in summer conditioning if possible, it will give him even more of an advantage..

I hope this helps to answer some of the questions you may have been wondering. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at evan.judge@gmail.com.