per MSUathletics.com site concerning the new TE Austin Wilbanks, Croom quote: "that is another guy who stepped up this week. Wilbanks is a guy who's been in our program for years. We've had other walk-ons come in here and have success. If you get here we don't care how you got here."
Pros to using Walk-ons: Can be a good thing especially since might have sort of a rags-to-riches Rudy type story concerning some of these walk-ons who never got a chance to show the can play. And I agree if you can't find anybody on the roster to do the job, then opening up the program and letting anybody have a shot is a very democratic and ballsy policy. Plus, allowing walk-ons to show what they can do does show a no favoritism policy and dispels the entitlement attitude some of these athletes carry in their minds.
Cons: However, is it just me or what but during Croom's tenure, there seems to be a lot more than usual walk-on players used by the current coaching staff. Case in point - Tyson Lee, this guy comes from nowhere and beats out Carroll and Relf (at least in Croom's mind) Plus, many of these walk-ons (like Wilbanks, Jam. Smith, Bell, etc.) probably don't need any more motivation than just busting their *** for a scholarship. That is incentive enough and they don't need to be fired up by the coaches to practice or play because they are earning their way to a scholarship.
One the flip side - the players Croom and Co. have recruited and placed on scholarship seem to show a lack of motivation, discipline, off-the-field-issues, and general undevelopment under this staff. In a nutsell, Croom's recruits never seem to "show up" in a game and they leave the fans wondering WTF? happened to _____ (insert any Croom recruit player named X).
I guess what i'm saying is - it seems Croom and Co. can't fire up, motivate, teach or develop some of the players they themselves have recruited and they themselves have raved about. Only to find out that come game time, they continue to never show up or look as if they have never played football before? Yet, its only the walk-on athletes who continue to show-up and play well under this coaching staff.
For example - it seems it takes Dixon, Carroll, Co-eric Riley, WR's, OL players, DL players require so much efffort to get ready and prepared to play.
But walk-on players like: Tyson Lee, (ex-player) Lance Long, Jamayel Smith, Aubrey Bell, and currently Austin Wilbanks, etc. are now or have been starting for us and seem to play better in a game. I mean is Austin Wilbanks that much better than Marcus Green or Nelson Hurst or Kendrick Cook? All we heard during the off-season was how damn good Green and Hurst are going to be. Hell, Hurst even enrolled early - but still a damn walk-on beats him out and does better and now might start for us?
Is it the coaches lack of recruiting (meaning some of the players like Relf will never pan out) or their lack of leadership in terms of not being able to prepare the players or fire them up?
OR
is it that these walk-on players just bust their *** harder since they are working towards being put on scholarship and get the money they need for college?
anyways, just sayin'.</p>
Pros to using Walk-ons: Can be a good thing especially since might have sort of a rags-to-riches Rudy type story concerning some of these walk-ons who never got a chance to show the can play. And I agree if you can't find anybody on the roster to do the job, then opening up the program and letting anybody have a shot is a very democratic and ballsy policy. Plus, allowing walk-ons to show what they can do does show a no favoritism policy and dispels the entitlement attitude some of these athletes carry in their minds.
Cons: However, is it just me or what but during Croom's tenure, there seems to be a lot more than usual walk-on players used by the current coaching staff. Case in point - Tyson Lee, this guy comes from nowhere and beats out Carroll and Relf (at least in Croom's mind) Plus, many of these walk-ons (like Wilbanks, Jam. Smith, Bell, etc.) probably don't need any more motivation than just busting their *** for a scholarship. That is incentive enough and they don't need to be fired up by the coaches to practice or play because they are earning their way to a scholarship.
One the flip side - the players Croom and Co. have recruited and placed on scholarship seem to show a lack of motivation, discipline, off-the-field-issues, and general undevelopment under this staff. In a nutsell, Croom's recruits never seem to "show up" in a game and they leave the fans wondering WTF? happened to _____ (insert any Croom recruit player named X).
I guess what i'm saying is - it seems Croom and Co. can't fire up, motivate, teach or develop some of the players they themselves have recruited and they themselves have raved about. Only to find out that come game time, they continue to never show up or look as if they have never played football before? Yet, its only the walk-on athletes who continue to show-up and play well under this coaching staff.
For example - it seems it takes Dixon, Carroll, Co-eric Riley, WR's, OL players, DL players require so much efffort to get ready and prepared to play.
But walk-on players like: Tyson Lee, (ex-player) Lance Long, Jamayel Smith, Aubrey Bell, and currently Austin Wilbanks, etc. are now or have been starting for us and seem to play better in a game. I mean is Austin Wilbanks that much better than Marcus Green or Nelson Hurst or Kendrick Cook? All we heard during the off-season was how damn good Green and Hurst are going to be. Hell, Hurst even enrolled early - but still a damn walk-on beats him out and does better and now might start for us?
Is it the coaches lack of recruiting (meaning some of the players like Relf will never pan out) or their lack of leadership in terms of not being able to prepare the players or fire them up?
OR
is it that these walk-on players just bust their *** harder since they are working towards being put on scholarship and get the money they need for college?
anyways, just sayin'.</p>
