Without a scholarship and without notoriety, hundreds of walk-ons are doing their best to carve out a spot on Division IA rosters. Spring practices, which take place without graduating seniors, and before the bulk of incoming freshman arrive, promise plenty of reps. If local media outlets are to be believed it seems a host of walk-ons are serving notice this spring in the Big 12.At Oklahoma, tight end Trent Ratterree is living out his boyhood dream as he tries to earn the #3 spot on the TE depth chart.
"I'd been an OU fan all my life," Ratterree said. "I dreamed of it my whole life.""Rudy" was also mentioned at Missouri, where 5-foot-7, Titus Wonsey is trying to find a home in a crowded Tiger backfield. His efforts have not gone unnoticed by head coach Gary Pinkel (pictured at right).
He came to Norman at 215 pounds and was thrown into Jerry Schmidt's boot camp.
"It's tough physically," Ratterree said. "Nothing can get you ready for Schmidtty."
But Ratterree got through it and was rewarded; he suited up for home games last season.
"I never felt, like you see in 'Rudy,' where they were pushing him around," Ratterree said. "They never made me feel like a low-down walkon. You're treated really good here."
"He's competitive," Pinkel said. "He gets after it. I love those guys."Wonsey also has a message for all the kids out there.
However, Missouri has four to five running backs ahead of Wonsey on the depth chart.
"He's going against guys who are bigger, stronger," Pinkel noted.
"A lot of kids get discouraged," he said. "There's always someone bigger, someone always taller, someone faster. Trust God. Be persistent. I'm not done yet. I'm just starting my dream."That type of attitude and hard work has finally paid off for Colorado walk-on running back Cory Nabors.
[Colorado head coach Dan] Hawkins told the team he didn't want players thinking he ever would overlook their hard work. He then asked walk-on running back Cory Nabors to stand up. When Nabors took a knee once again, he was no longer a walk-on.Nabors was also the Buffaloes' second leading rusher in their most recent scrimmage.
Hawkins awarded one of the program's available scholarships to Nabors, who joined the program as an invited walk-on from Rangeview High School in Aurora in 2006.
It's hard sometimes as a football fan not to look at spring football as a meaningless tease killing time between college basketball season and the long-anticipated opening of fall camp. Stories such as these, however, remind us of the toils of the role players, the long snappers, the holders and the fifth-year senior walk-ons fighting for one more day as a college football player.
