Three Walk Ons

[wcbsas]

Brian Blankenship G, Kelly Saalfeld C, Josh Sewell C, & Adam Treu C all played in the NFL for at least 5 seasons...


And just to point out, not all great college players make it to the NFL (example: Tommie Frazier, Joe Ganz, Turner Gill).

LeVerne Allers G, Dennis Carlson T, Aaron Taylor G, Chris Dishman T, Aaron Graham C, Toniu Fonoti G, Russ Hochstein G, Dominic Raiola C, Dean Steinkuhler G, Keith Worthman G, Doug Dumler C, Dick Rupert G, Carl Johnson T, Dave Volk T........all these guys received conference, honorable mentions, and/or national awards while wearing the scarlet and cream, and they all started as walk ons, and they all were linemen.....and there are many more........

To discredit the walk-ons by saying that the reason they are getting looked at is because we didn't get some kids with stars next to their name is idiotic to say the least, given the tradition and history of our walk on program.

Hell, Dean Steinkuhler has his name on the stadium as a walk on O lineman.

How many of these guys played for NU in this century? Heck how many played in the '90s?

I love the Doug Dumler reference - 1971/1972!

No one is discrediting walk-ons, at least I'm not.

BUT by my count we have 24 OLinemen on the current roster (not counting 5 true freshmen walkons).
Of the 24, I believe 13 of those are scholarship linemen. So we're saying 3 of the 11 non-scholarship linemen have a potential to start AND are better than all but 2 of the 13 scholarship linemen?

And that doesn't raise any potential concerns regarding talent evaluation/development/coaching?

[Drozz]

But the walk-on program has taken us from maybe not winning a couple because of the injuries, lack of recruited talent, whatever it may be, and giving us a fighting chance. I'll take that all day...

I agree with this. I think the walk-on program is great for building depth, and finding the occasional "hidden gem", but if we are relying on our walk-ons for 60% of our starting offensive line in this day in age of recruiting, then we missed big time in that recruiting...

[hskrncibolo]

i have NO problem with walkons starting. Just wish BC would give schollies to more deserving OL .

[Husker Country Doc]

It would say more about the lack of recruited scholarship talent, I would think.

I think it says more to the small amount of difference between a scholarship player, and a walk-on, and the inexact art of recruiting.

A walk-on can overcome many physical shortcomings through dedication and effort.

[hrbhskr]

And I agree with this as well. We have had great walk-ons that have gone on to great things. But to have so many of them playing such an important role in the same year shows some real issues with recruiting, plain and simple.

[Husker Country Doc]

As much as everyone feels recruiting is a science, and that impact players can readily be identified as juniors or seniors in HS, that is simply not the case.

Recruiting is an art. It's about contacts, and some luck.

50% of scholarship recruits will never contribute. Walkons fill the holes left by those scholarship washouts.

If recruiting is a science, go ahead and tell me now the 50% of last year's recruiting class that will be impactful on the program. The future is difficult to see, it is.

[wcbsas]

As much as everyone feels recruiting is a science, and that impact players can readily be identified as juniors or seniors in HS, that is simply not the case.

Recruiting is an art. It's about contacts, and some luck.

50% of scholarship recruits will never contribute. Walkons fill the holes left by those scholarship washouts.

If recruiting is a science, go ahead and tell me now the 50% of last year's recruiting class that will be impactful on the program. The future is difficult to see, it is.

This isn't the '70s or '80s where the recruiting services were often noted as much for being wrong as they were right. There is a lot more analysis, data and evaluations done to determine whether a kid is a deserving of a 5- or 4- or 3-star ranking. The washout rate of a 4-star athlete is less likely today than it was 10 or 20 years ago.

Not counting kickers (different animal altogether) how long has it been since an NU walk-on or former walk-on has made first or seccond team all-conference. At any position?

No one is decrying or down playing the importance of the walk-on program or down playing the accomplishment of those few athletes who perserve and accomplish a lot.

What some of us are saying is that for a walk-on to earn a starting spot some things must have happened - poor recruiting, injuries ... for potentially three walk-ons to earn a starting spot on the offensive line indicates significant failure in some regard.

[HuskerRedDread]

As much as everyone feels recruiting is a science, and that impact players can readily be identified as juniors or seniors in HS, that is simply not the case.

Recruiting is an art. It's about contacts, and some luck.

50% of scholarship recruits will never contribute. Walkons fill the holes left by those scholarship washouts.

If recruiting is a science, go ahead and tell me now the 50% of last year's recruiting class that will be impactful on the program. The future is difficult to see, it is.

That's the best way I've seen it put. It's not a science, but an art.

Of the 28 recruits that committed for the 2008 class, D.Grant, M.Kreikemeier, J.Levorson, S.Osbourne, K.Spano, B.Thompson, Q.Toaila, M.Wald, L.Ward, D.Whitmore, & J.Williams have all played little to no time on Saturdays for various reasons.

09 had 21 in it's class, N.Ash, J.Coffey, J.T.Kerr, L.Middleton, & C.Williams (maybe we can throw in D.Robinson) have contribute little to no time on the field Saturday's.

Each class will have it's examples to support your post.

[HuskerRedDread]

This isn't the '70s or '80s where the recruiting services were often noted as much for being wrong as they were right. There is a lot more analysis, data and evaluations done to determine whether a kid is a deserving of a 5- or 4- or 3-star ranking. The washout rate of a 4-star athlete is less likely today than it was 10 or 20 years ago.

Not counting kickers (different animal altogether) how long has it been since an NU walk-on or former walk-on has made first or seccond team all-conference. At any position?

No one is decrying or down playing the importance of the walk-on program or down playing the accomplishment of those few athletes who perserve and accomplish a lot.

What some of us are saying is that for a walk-on to earn a starting spot some things must have happened - poor recruiting, injuries ... for potentially three walk-ons to earn a starting spot on the offensive line indicates significant failure in some regard.

The same could be said about a true freshman starting over a 4th year Jr and sophomore like the QB at USC or maybe here at NU when a rFr. starts over a Soph. & 5th yr Sr with starting experience. And that QB had only played that position for 2 years prior to his start at a D-1 school.

In other words to say it's a failure in some regard is discrediting what the one whom made the accomplishments. Maybe the QBs showed a different spark to the offense that wasn't shown in those whom were there before him. Maybe those walk ons were able to display a characteristic and/or work ethic that the scholarship players didn't display previously.

At some point, players get out done by other players at their position whom are on the same team. I wouldn't chalk it up as a failure to the player nor the coach if the walk on just showed more of a willingness to get things done than the scholarship players on the team. We just happen to have more walk ons at this moment that are pushing that much more to be considered for playing time over some of the scholarship kids on the roster. That mentality is far from failure, IMO.

[FeelLikeAStranger]

And I agree with this as well. We have had great walk-ons that have gone on to great things. But to have so many of them playing such an important role in the same year shows some real issues with recruiting, plain and simple.

No, it really doesn't.

[wcbsas]

We just happen to have more walk ons at this moment that are pushing that much more to be considered for playing time over some of the scholarship kids on the roster. That mentality is far from failure, IMO.

So you are saying that the potentiality that 3 walk-ons may end up starting on the O-line has NOTHING to do with poor recruiting, poor development and/or poor coaching?

Everyone (including me) loves a great walk-on program.
Everyone (including me) wants to celebrate success by walk-ons.

It seems no one wants to correlate the other reasons why these walk-ons potentially have a chance to start ... the fact that most of the 13 recruited scholarship O-linemen on this team are not meeting expectations.

[Pop Corn]

So you are saying that the potentiality that 3 walk-ons may end up starting on the O-line has NOTHING to do with poor recruiting, poor development and/or poor coaching?

Everyone (including me) loves a great walk-on program.
Everyone (including me) wants to celebrate success by walk-ons.

It seems no one wants to correlate the other reasons why these walk-ons potentially have a chance to start ... the fact that most of the 13 recruited scholarship O-linemen on this team are not meeting expectations.

Walk-ons starting now probably is correlated to"poor recruiting, poor development and/or poor coaching" about to the same degree as it was in TO's era. I kinda think that is the point of the walk-on program. I makes up for shortcomings in those areas as well as losses due to injury. Some pretty fine ball players have come through big time for this program and I think there is evidence that it still works. Somebody in the NU administration must have a pretty good formula for a walk-on program, huh?

[bilsker]

Walk-ons starting now probably is correlated to"poor recruiting, poor development and/or poor coaching" about to the same degree as it was in TO's era. I kinda think that is the point of the walk-on program. I makes up for shortcomings in those areas as well as losses due to injury. Some pretty fine ball players have come through big time for this program and I think there is evidence that it still works. Somebody in the NU administration must have a pretty good formula for a walk-on program, huh?

The real answer will come during the season.

The fact is if you have 3 walk-ons starting on a 5 man line something hasn't worked out...be it recruiting (lack of numbers or guys just not panning out), injuries, whatever. We can romanticize the walk-on program all we want but when 60% of your OL is walk-on something fell apart somewhere.

[Greatest Fan of All]

Hell, Dean Steinkuhler has his name on the stadium as a walk on O lineman.

LOL. Dean would be surprised to hear that he walked on.

http://www.huskermax.com/recruits/1979.html

As would Dominic Raiola:

http://www.huskermax.com/recruits/1997.html

And Toniu Fonoti

http://www.huskermax.com/recruits/1999.html

And Chris Dishman

http://www.huskermax.com/recruits/1992.html

And Russ Hochstein

http://www.huskermax.com/recruits/1996.html

And Dave Volk

http://www.huskermax.com/recruits/1997.html

and probably many others from that crazy post you put up.

[bilsker]

LOL. Dean would be surprised to hear that he walked on.

http://www.huskermax.com/recruits/1979.html

As would Dominic Raiola:

http://www.huskermax.com/recruits/1997.html

And Toniu Fonoti

http://www.huskermax.com/recruits/1999.html

and probably many others from that crazy post you put up.

Yeah, that post had me scratching my head as well...

[ShortSideOption]

Ya some of those names didn't sound like walk-ons...

But....as quick as we are to say that poor coaching attributes to the lack of scholarship players playing, couldn't it also mean that great coaching is attributed to the amount of walk-ons playing?

WRAP OUR HEADS AROUND THAT!!!!!!

Half joking but half serious fyi...

[the fountainhead]

I am on the side of being concerned when I read that so many of our OLine starters are walk ons...Walkons are great for the program and fill in roles on the scout team and occaisionally bust out and become starters and all americans...I just believe our coaches have missed the mark on finding players that make the most effective linemen.

[GoBigfRed]

LOL!

Yep, gotta get those walk-ons off the field! They even have the Big Ten Conference fooled.

Didn't NU walk-on lineman and first year starter Spencer Long make all conference 2nd team?

Not shabby. Wonder how he did it with the poor coaching and development that some of the "gurus" posting in this thread are trying to sell?

[Greatest Fan of All]

Yeah, that post had me scratching my head as well...

LOL. Also Dishman and Hochstein and Volk (I added them to my post)...bizarre.

[Pop Corn]

LOL!

Yep, gotta get those walk-ons off the field! They even have the Big Ten Conference fooled.

Didn't NU walk-on lineman and first year starter Spencer Long make all conference 2nd team?

Not shabby. Wonder how he did it with the poor coaching and development that some of the "gurus" posting in this thread are trying to sell?

You need to watch your mouth fRED!!! None of the bile drinkers want to hear about an actual walk-on from the NU program earning B1G honors! Anything positive about this coaching staff or the athletes recruited by them is off limits here. We need to gnash our teeth and keep the hemlock handy so we can all parish when this team tanks.

Long making the charts MUST be a mistake ------ he can't be that good ----------bilsker and GFOA have spoken!!! Anybody that thinks differently than them are excuse making, romantisizing, kool-aid drinkers that don't know diddly-squat about football!