Brian Thorson

Yeah, there's a story about him on scout.

To paraphrase, he got to talk to Pelini, Osborne, and Cotton. Each of them basically said the same thing. Whether you're a full scholarship player or a walk on, you're going to get treated the same.

In my opinion, this is the start of our comeback, with that mentality. It will breed an intensity from the very first practice, and I suspect we'll get a story somewhere along the line about a walk on taking a spot that would have gone to a scholarship player. If that happens, you can believe the fire will really burn at practices, and will convert to the field.

Here's to hoping our own Nebraska boy becomes a starter someday.

 
Husker_x said:
Yeah, there's a story about him on scout.

To paraphrase, he got to talk to Pelini, Osborne, and Cotton. Each of them basically said the same thing. Whether you're a full scholarship player or a walk on, you're going to get treated the same.

In my opinion, this is the start of our comeback, with that mentality. It will breed an intensity from the very first practice, and I suspect we'll get a story somewhere along the line about a walk on taking a spot that would have gone to a scholarship player. If that happens, you can believe the fire will really burn at practices, and will convert to the field.

Here's to hoping our own Nebraska boy becomes a starter someday.
Click to expand...
Exactly!! And this is why we need the walk-on program. Very well put.

 
To paraphrase, he got to talk to Pelini, Osborne, and Cotton. Each of them basically said the same thing. Whether you're a full scholarship player or a walk on, you're going to get treated the same.

Aside from having tuition, books, and room & board paid... what's left for them to be treated the same in?

 
MadcatNU said:
To paraphrase, he got to talk to Pelini, Osborne, and Cotton. Each of them basically said the same thing. Whether you're a full scholarship player or a walk on, you're going to get treated the same.

Aside from having tuition, books, and room & board paid... what's left for them to be treated the same in?
Click to expand...
Practice and a chance to see the field as early as anyone. If he comes in and proves himself capable of playing his position better than a scholarship player, the fact that the other guy has a scholarship does not give him special treatment to keep his spot in the rotation.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
MadcatNU said:
This is different than other schools?
Click to expand...
Did you fall asleep the last four seasons? We have some walk on success stories in that time, but they are as scarce as good games were last season. Many schools are respecters of persons with regards to who they play. Nebraska's walk on program used to be the 8th wonder of the world, and it fostered elevated play every single snap, because the guys in front knew if they slipped, there were a dozen other hungry guys behind them who would gladly take their spot.

Some places, too, I'm sure, walk on programs are more for show than anything. At Nebraska it's traditionally been a part of the program very near in dear to our hearts. The benefits of the competition bred by a solid group of walk ons can't be overstated, I don't think.

 
I didn't fall asleep, but i'm not sold on this supposed "revival" of the walk on program that everyone seems to be eating up.

TO made comments about re-establishing the walk on program, but BC didn't do away with it. How exactly is it being improved?

So far, we have around 17 walk ons for this class i believe. This number isn't much different from the 16 that BC took last season. So if the numbers aren't different, that imply the quality is different. Could be the case, but how exactly is the quality better?

The accepted theory is that BC treated the walk on program badly, but no one can really say why. As near as i can tell, all the talk about the walk ons is as much pr as it is anything of real substance.

 
While I can't find it, I recall a thread in which a current walk-on indicated that the walk-ons were treated as essentially tackling dummies under the Callahan regime. Assuming that's correct, then that's the major difference. From what I know, the "treat 'em as tackling dummies" attitude extends to most programs.

 
If we're being honest, isn't that basically what 90+ percent of these walk ons will be treated as under Bo? Most of them aren't going to outperform the scholly players in practice, which means....

To me it just seems like spin. We're basically going to do the same things as any other program, we're just going to give them a lot more pub and make them feel warm and fuzzy about it.

 
I've heard stories via blogs and I believe the LJS that walk ons weren't treated with much respect either by the coaches or the players. Several high school coaches have stated they were dissatisfied with the Callahan regime.

To put it bluntly, if you believe Callahan showed half the respect for this state that Pelini has so far, you've just not been paying attention for awhile.

A walk on program is only viable when the walk ons know they have a legitimate shot to contribute, and they're not going to be brushed under the rug because a 5-star thinks his sh#t should be packaged as air freshener. It's a mindset that is created, and football, being a highly mental game, relies heavily on the attitudes and beliefs of the players. If you believe that slacking could not possibly result in your being stripped of your position, the motivation drops. It likely won't disappear, but having a hungry kid trying to keep step with you keeps you on your toes and can push you past your limits.

Is it the end-all to everything? No. But don't underestimate the power of the attitude walk ons can bring this program when they have a legitimate chance to play.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top