"preferred walk on" / recruiting angle?

[JohnnySwoop '85]

Got a question for some of the Mel Kipers on this board who are more versed in the recruiting process..

Do we offer a "walk on status" to see what might happen thereafter to a lot of kids or is that to just a few beyond the quantity of verbals and assumed signee's we get come February?
If so, what is the liklihood of any "preferred" walk-ons ever getting a scholarship after a freshman season? Can it be given as early as Spring semester?

Or can be it be a ploy sometimes to see if they can get a recruit for nothing which allows for a bigger offer to somebody higher up on the recruit board?

[factman]

Coach Clawson said they were giving 4-5 of last year preferred walk-ons scholarships for next year. I believe 3-4 of them started or played major roles this year.

[h2oville rocket]

What happened to Joplin? I have to wonder if he's not thinking he made a significant error by not shooting for a track schollie somewhere. Ryan Fleck from Napolean ended up at Auburn and was runner-up in the NCAAs in 2009 while Kynard ended up at Kansas State and was the 2009 Pan American Games runner-up. Joplin could have competed at near that level. There was clearly something in the water around here when those guys grew up that wasn't there when I was jumping.

End of the bench WRs are a dime a dozen, 7' high jumpers much less so. Is he not talented enough or in the doghouse or just not ready yet? I know he had some interest from a number of schools for both sports.

[daspollak]

Joplin is an academic liability. He wasn't able to play sports for a (semester/quarter) at Sylvania Southview because of grades. No respectable D1 school is going to waste a track scholly on a person who has a sketchy track record academically.

[h2oville rocket]

Joplin is an academic liability. He wasn't able to play sports for a (semester/quarter) at Sylvania Southview because of grades. No respectable D1 school is going to waste a track scholly on a person who has a sketchy track record academically.

We're talking Auburn here-not a respectable school. Have you been reading the Sports Page? And he was eligible at BG, right?

[MarkL]

And he was eligible at BG, right?

From what I understand, early on, no. I believe he spent his first year studying and working, not practicing. Now, I believe he's spending his time studying the playbook. I suppose with Pronty and Wiley gone after this year, Joplin is likely to take a huge role next year.

[JoeFalcon]

The preferred walk-on process in college is like a distant stepbrother to the UFA system in the NFL, where there's a mad scramble and competition among teams to aquire the top undrafted talent.

They look at the rosters and see where they might be able to make the biggest impact. A undrafted WR from Florida this past year picked the Bills after the head coach told him he'd have a legitimate opportunity to make the roster due to their weakness at the position, and he ended up doing just that.

Many Division IA preferred walk-ons choose that route over I-AA or D-II offers or D-III financial aid packages.