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Walk-Ons

SwirlingFloater

SwirlingFloater

Active Member
Dec 19, 2008
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West Des Moines
I know PR has expressed his desire to connect with coaches and recruits in Iowa and the Midwest, but does anyone know how much he intends to promote a walk-on program?

It seems some head coaches don't like messing with walk-ons, but I believe there are a lot of kids with huge potential and a chip on their shoulder from not being heavily recruited that could help out the Clones.

We all know examples of athletes that were totally overlooked out of high school, but when given a chance ended up being outstanding contributors.

Your thoughts?
 
I think the walk-on program in a state like Iowa is especially important. For ISU/Iowa, they look at mostly the top 10-15 rated kids, and other programs barely look at even that. Sure, maybe only 1 in 4-5 years a walkon makes it to not only being on scholarship, but also starting, but you sometimes get a stud like Iowa has and has made the world VERY aware of. But that'd be nice.
 
I guarantee coach Rhoads will be a huge supporter of the walkon program. Under Mac the walkon program was big and Coach Rhoads was the benefactor of some of those walkons as the DB coach.

Chiziks history was with 4 and 5 star players so he didnt have the exposure to what a good walkon program could do for you like Coach Rhoads has.
 
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Hopefully PR has a good walk-on program. I know Ash supported walk-ons because I had planned to walk on at DB after spending a camp with him. Chizik didn't have the time of day if you were discussing a walk on program. After his staff came in, I never heard another word about the program.
 
Oline Dline TE LB those seems to be the best place for Iowa High School walk ons

Sometimes you find a WR or DB but not often.

QB RB almost never
 
I was always excited in 01, 02, and 03 to see Whitver and Danielsen line up on the field at the same time. Two former walk-on boys from Iowa starting at wideout in the Big 12, and having success.
 
I believe Rhoads will promote the walk on program...but this is not the old days. With scouting as it is today, very little talent passes under the radar. If a kid is good enough to walkon at Iowa State or Iowa,he is good enough for a scholly at South Dakota State, UNI or North Dakota etc. And few will turn down that kind of situation for a maybe at Iowa State. We will get greyshirts I'm sure, but even those aren't that easy as someone else will pick them off, like we are doing to Iowa right now.
 
I think it's hilarious that some people bash Chizik for ignoring walkons from the state of Iowa--and it's well known that one of the players he so desperately protected when Bates left was Pleasant Valley's Brett Bueker. Nor was Bueker the only true freshman walkon from Iowa (Mulchay, Campbell and Weymiller, that I see at a glance), though Chizik seems to have used a number of his (limited) walkon spots for outstate kids.
 
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I agree that walk-ons are important. They often have the determination to prove themselves worthy.

Look at Mark Farley, head coach at UNI. He went to my high school in Waukon and is quite a story. He couldn't get recruited anywhere out of high school and couldn't afford college so he drove a truck for a couple of years. Whenever he passed through Cedar Falls he'd make it a point to stop by and watch UNI practice. Once he had enough money saved he decided to walk on the team and ended up being a star... and now the head coach. They still call him the "Walk-on from Waukon".

That reminds me... I also remember when I was very young watching college football... whenever the announcer mentioned a guy being a walk-on I'd always be thinking "wow, another guy playing college ball from Waukon." I though my hometown was a powerhouse of college talent.
 
Aclone said:
I think it's hilarious that some people bash Chizik for ignoring walkons from the state of Iowa--and it's well known that one of the players he so desperately protected when Bates left was Pleasant Valley's Brett Bueker. Nor was Bueker the only true freshman walkon from Iowa (Mulchay, Campbell and Weymiller, that I see at a glance), though Chizik seems to have used a number of his (limited) walkon spots for outstate kids.
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Whoa nelly 5 whole walkons, way to go Chizik!!!!!!!!!!:jimlad::jimlad:

There were over 20 in my class in the fall of 1997. Some notables, Chris Anthony, Marcel Howard, Jessie Beckom, Jason Lyfftogg (sp?).
 
Curt, what is it that walkons are not allowed to participate in. I can't remember what it was but somewhere, maybe here, I had read about restrictions placed on non-scholarship players.
Maybe access to trainers when not in season or something like that.
 
wesley_w said:
Curt, what is it that walkons are not allowed to participate in. I can't remember what it was but somewhere, maybe here, I had read about restrictions placed on non-scholarship players.
Maybe access to trainers when not in season or something like that.
Click to expand...

Maybe the athletic deprtment wont pay for tutors but they will help you find them. I ate training table, went to the trainers, worked out with Getty and suited for all the games (something Chizik didn't allow).
 
I know that Sam Tim from Ames got offered a preffered walkon. But he has got a full ride from another school coming soon, so i dont see him going to ISU.
 
Hope Coach Rhoads brings it back, but hope we don't have to rely on them too much. Like others have said, I think quality of walk ons has probably dropped somewhat from past due to other schools picking them up.
 
Bobber said:
Hope Coach Rhoads brings it back, but hope we don't have to rely on them too much. Like others have said, I think quality of walk ons has probably dropped somewhat from past due to other schools picking them up.
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Interesting perception, since if you look at Chizik's last class of walkons, they were largely from Texas and Florida. So just because some of the Iowa kids might have gone elsewhere hardly means, to me, that the quality had dropped.
 
Didn't someone say that Conor Boffeli was originally just offered a gray shirt or walk-on at Iowa?

Did Iowa up their interest to a scholarship offer after ISU showed interest in him and made him an offer?
 
SwirlingFloater said:
I know PR has expressed his desire to connect with coaches and recruits in Iowa and the Midwest, but does anyone know how much he intends to promote a walk-on program?

It seems some head coaches don't like messing with walk-ons, but I believe there are a lot of kids with huge potential and a chip on their shoulder from not being heavily recruited that could help out the Clones.

We all know examples of athletes that were totally overlooked out of high school, but when given a chance ended up being outstanding contributors.


I know of one walk-on that could have an impact on the team in the fall. He was my best friend in high school and just recently transferred from Iowa where he was a TE prospect. The coaches at Iowa were really high on him to take the place of Myers or Moeaki. He really liked playing football for them but he grew up on a farm by Allison Iowa and wanted to go into Ag so he realized the error of his ways and has now transferred to ISU. He told me Rhoads and staff want him to be a Defensive End since they said they were "set" at the TE position. His name is Luke Brocka...6'4'' 240 lbs runs pretty good and is a hell of an athlete...here is the link to his profile on Rivals...He was at Ellsworth CC before he went to Iowa...He had some pretty good schools looking at him while he was there!

Luke Brocka - Football Recruiting
Click to expand...
 
He has put on weight since they updated his profile fyi..He was at 250 for a while but has lost 10 lbs since leaving Iowa
 
Will he have to sit out a year? Since he wasn't on scholarship at Iowa does that affect his elligibility? Does he have 1 or 2 years left?
 
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