Do walk-ons still exist in college sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recruit- guaranteed spot

Preferred walk on-late applicant missed their teams "guaranteed spots"

Walk on-long shot, but in most cases if you have the game, they'll find a spot for you

Hope that helps!

Unfortunately there is no guaranteed spot even for recruited athletes at DIII. My son is in the process as a baseball player and we are hearing about how many of the schools he is interested in over recruit and then cut in Freshman year.

+1

Same with my son at Washington College in Chestertown. He was late to the game applying there and the freshman roster was 'full' when he reached out to the coach. My son could easily compete there but the coach wouldn't commit to him before the year started, so we bailed on the school. Scholastically it was below him and they are one of those schools hanging on by a thread so they offered him boatloads of money to pretty please come.

I actually wrote a note to the AO saying the coach effed this one up. My kid would have gone there had a spot been offered, but he's not going to a 1000 student school in the middle of bumf**k without something to do. I'd love to know what the AO said to the coach.

When you say the coach wouldn’t commit, you mean the coach wouldn’t commit to rostering him if he enrolled? In some ways that’s the opposite of my point (though still difficult and hard for your son). The coach had already done his recruitment for the class so wouldn’t bump another freshman off the roster for your son. I’m worried about a school committing to my son, rostering him, then cutting him or benching him with no intention to ever have him play. Finding the right level (competitive enough for room to grow, not so competitive you get cut or benched) plus the right academic fit is a real challenge. I hope your son has found his perfect spot!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recruit- guaranteed spot

Preferred walk on-late applicant missed their teams "guaranteed spots"

Walk on-long shot, but in most cases if you have the game, they'll find a spot for you

Hope that helps!

Unfortunately there is no guaranteed spot even for recruited athletes at DIII. My son is in the process as a baseball player and we are hearing about how many of the schools he is interested in over recruit and then cut in Freshman year.

+1

Same with my son at Washington College in Chestertown. He was late to the game applying there and the freshman roster was 'full' when he reached out to the coach. My son could easily compete there but the coach wouldn't commit to him before the year started, so we bailed on the school. Scholastically it was below him and they are one of those schools hanging on by a thread so they offered him boatloads of money to pretty please come.

I actually wrote a note to the AO saying the coach effed this one up. My kid would have gone there had a spot been offered, but he's not going to a 1000 student school in the middle of bumf**k without something to do. I'd love to know what the AO said to the coach.

When you say the coach wouldn’t commit, you mean the coach wouldn’t commit to rostering him if he enrolled? In some ways that’s the opposite of my point (though still difficult and hard for your son). The coach had already done his recruitment for the class so wouldn’t bump another freshman off the roster for your son. I’m worried about a school committing to my son, rostering him, then cutting him or benching him with no intention to ever have him play. Finding the right level (competitive enough for room to grow, not so competitive you get cut or benched) plus the right academic fit is a real challenge. I hope your son has found his perfect spot!

Yes, that's what I mean. And I don't blame the guy. I know he'd already built that freshman roster, but my son would only consider the school if he was on the team. There's literally nothing else to do in Chestertown and when you factor the size of the freshman class (about 250) it's pretty clear he wouldn't have agroup of people to hngf with if he wasnt on a team of some sort. He's decent golfer so that was an option too but we didn't speak with them.

I whole heartedly understand your point about your kid picking a school and then never playing. That would suck.

My kid is going to a large state school (where he'd never make the roster so he'll look at the club level to scratch that itch. A lot of these decent HS athletes have a slow let go of the sport at this stage of life and it can bes hard to watch. A bit like a sad break up but everything changes and you pick a new pursuit. Life goes on.

[Anonymous]

I know of a student recruited as a D1 preferred walk-on. Still got the fanfare, Letter of Intent signing, etc., was on the roster, but no money that first year.

I also know of a rowing walk-on at an Ivy who was rostered all four years. I think they hoped to be recruited, weren't, then went out for the team anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My suspicion is that at a NESCAC, probably not. Those guys are all DI caliber athletes who chose to attend those schools. Probably more likely at other DIII schools.

This is not true.

[Anonymous]

Crew doesn't count. It's not an NCAA sport.

[Anonymous]

Do walk-ons still exist in college sports ?

In the case of Forest Gump, it was a run-on.

[Anonymous]

It is for running - both track and XC. You can even see the typical race times needed for these different levels (recruit to walk-on) listed online for each event for each school.

[Anonymous]

Definitely still exists for gymnastics. Especially for in state students eligible for state scholarships or lower fees anyway, gymnasts often want to compete for a better team with no extra money than a worse team that will give them cash. UCLA, Utah, Georgia, Florida -all definitely have walk ons that compete. Occasionally those kids earn a scholarship, usually when something happens with a scholarship a coach thought was taken at the last minute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My suspicion is that at a NESCAC, probably not. Those guys are all DI caliber athletes who chose to attend those schools. Probably more likely at other DIII schools.

The NESCAC conference is among the best D3 in the nation and most of those schools are amongst the most academically rigorous. The fact is, most of those schools have their pick of the best D3/low end D1 athletes (assuming they have the grades as well…which is a big if).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My suspicion is that at a NESCAC, probably not. Those guys are all DI caliber athletes who chose to attend those schools. Probably more likely at other DIII schools.

The NESCAC conference is among the best D3 in the nation and most of those schools are amongst the most academically rigorous. The fact is, most of those schools have their pick of the best D3/low end D1 athletes (assuming they have the grades as well…which is a big if).

And I meant to add, none of these schools have walk ons that play, in any sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My suspicion is that at a NESCAC, probably not. Those guys are all DI caliber athletes who chose to attend those schools. Probably more likely at other DIII schools.

The NESCAC conference is among the best D3 in the nation and most of those schools are amongst the most academically rigorous. The fact is, most of those schools have their pick of the best D3/low end D1 athletes (assuming they have the grades as well…which is a big if).

And I meant to add, none of these schools have walk ons that play, in any sport.

That’s a serious exaggeration.

[Anonymous]

I walked on D1 new to the sport, qualified for the travel team and got to regionals by my senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of volleyball players from this region who are walk-ons at D1 schools.

If by “walk-on” you mean non-scholarship but recruited athletes (i.e., a preferred walk-on), then yes I would agree. If you mean there are D1 volleyball players who just show up at the coach’s door after getting to college and try out and earn a spot on the team, I don’t think that happens much, if ever.

Most D1 volleyball programs have 16 or more players on the roster but only 12 scholarships (which's can’t be split amongst players for a head count sport like volleyball) so for most schools at least 1/4 of the roster are “walk-ons”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Crew doesn't count. It's not an NCAA sport.

Check your facts. It’s an NCAA D1/D3 sport for women and recruitable D1/D3 sport for men (different governing body).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My suspicion is that at a NESCAC, probably not. Those guys are all DI caliber athletes who chose to attend those schools. Probably more likely at other DIII schools.

Hahahaha. Maybe water polo or something esoteric. In a revenue sport, or even a main Olympic sport like track and field or wrestling, the NESCACs would be slaughtered by most D1 sports. The ivies are D1 and it’s an even when they beat a P5 team.

In tennis, they are more often than not athletes who could easily play D1 at other schools.

There are now D1 players that are literally pro tennis players that sometimes have tournament fees paid by their schools. There was a recent article about a UNC player that was allowed to win prize money but somehow went sideways with the NCAA for getting reimbursed for restringing her racquets. It was strange.

You claiming that D3 tennis players are that level?

Pp is way wrong about d3 vs d1 tennis

The gap between d3 and d1 tennis is larger than soccer.

D3 and d1 tennis players physically don’t even look like the same species such is the divergence in height / limb length (on the men’s side)

It’s like school team and club and intramural.