Hey everyone, I am 17 and I am going into my senior year in high school. I was planning on playing varsity football my senior year but I got in some trouble and I was sent to an alternative school and I will miss the entire football season next year. I am not a bad kid, I just made 1 stupid and idiotic mistake. I love football and I was starting CB and I really want to pursue football in college. How does the "walk-on" process go? Do you just try out? I know most kids on the team received some kind of athletic scholarship, but I really believe that I have the talent to play D1 or D2 football. I am 6-2 and 165 and run a 4-6. in the 40. I am a A-B student in school and I am not a troublesome kid at all, I simply made 1 very bad decision and now I am suffering the consequences. So can you guys help me out on what I need to do that will give me the best shot to play football in college while forgoing my senior year season.
Have you talked to any of the coaches at private high schools in your area. A lot of private schools give scholarships and grants, maybe you could play your senior year at a different school?
I have considered going to private school but that too also involves a lot of money which my family and I don't have.
If you are a serious football badass you might be able to make it in a Southland Conference school...most of those are fairly cheap tuition too from the ones I remember glancing at, at least there you can say you played for a D-1 team
Depends on the College / University worse Case . . goto a Juco . . .and stand out then make the move to a Major D-1 University Rocket River
That's not a good start to get noticed. I hate to break it to you, but the vast majority of non-scholarship athletes or walk-ons are "preferred" meaning they're invited to be on the team. In FBS (I-A), schools are limited to 25 initial scholarships...there are some really good players out there not receiving any money. I guess you could attend an "open" tryout if available once you get on campus but the chances of you suiting up or sticking around for that matter are slim to none. You have to be a "qualifier" to practice, compete, and receive an athletics scholarship during your first year in Division I or II. For more info visit: www.ncaaclearinghouse.org
Except the guys who stand out in JUCO are badasses who couldn't qualify out of high school. I'd recommend this kid go to a Division II or III university if he wants to play college football.
My nephew was a career backup at a high school that won three straight 4A football championships. He walked on at a major university for two years before giving it up to concentrate on studies and a girlfriend. He loved it. He only suited up for a few games but lots of practices! He is at Duke, so the lesson here is go to a lousy football school and you'll have a better chance...
You might consider getting some tape together and sending it to coaches after the upcoming season. I hand delivered a lot of tape and a few coaches sat down and talked to me - even Fred Akers at UT gave me a few minutes. I don't think they will be interested until they have finished recruiting for what would be your freshman class. Your best bet is to have your old coach put the word out - a lot of college recruiters have good relations with coaches and are always looking for guys who fall through the cracks. I had a family friend that was sitting on the bench for Arkansas back in the SWC days and he had his high school coach put together a tape with a recommendation and I gave it to my college coach after our season was over -- they offered him a full ride for the next season and he was our starting QB for a few years. I wouldn't worry about position, just show up and jump in with the db's and they will move you as they see fit - at least that is how it worked many years ago.
This is what I was really planning on doing, I want to do some research on some d1 schools that have potential and hopefully I could help the school out a lot. Could you guys list some schools that may be my best bet? Auburn? Arkansas? UAB? TSU?Texas state??
auburn and arkansas are top 25 teams...no way in hell you get in to one of those schools unless you are an all-usa track athlete or something.. Best bet like I said before for D-1 is Southland Conference Lamar U. SHSU SFA UT-S.A. or Arlington TX State TAMU-CC All really easy to get into, and cheap, in Texas, and have smalltime football teams
UH has held open tryouts from time to time. i knew a guy who got on the team, and he didnt even have the typical football build... UH is cheap too
I knew a guy who walked onto the UT-Austin football program. He never got to really play in an actual game, but he got to live the dream for the 3 years he was on the team.
Private schools will give out tuition waivers. I graduated from a relatively small private high school here in Houston. Our graduating class was only 46 and the only black guy in it was there on scholarship to be on the football team. He got a football scholarship to go play for a DI-AA or DII school. I can't remember which. Texas State's secondary SUCKED last year. If there's a Southland Conference school where you could walk on as a CB, that might be it. Another option as somebody already mentioned is to maybe walk on at a junior college like Blinn or Navarro and hopefully get a scholarship to a university.
