TR said:
Haven't we learned from Tyson Lee and others that there are reasons why the players weren't offered scholarships to begin with?
I don't expect walk-ons to contribute. Maybe, MAYBE one like an Eric Hoskins, who was a darn good fullback until he got hurt, or a kicker like a Scott Westerfield come from the walk-on pool will contribute as a role player.
My point is walk-ons are guys that usually grow up fans of your school and just want to be part of the team. They are usually guys that have been loyal through the years and have worked hard just to get on the team. Many of these guys could go start at Delta State or Mississippi College, but they're choosing to basically sit on your bench because they want to. They don't take up a scholarship, they're not going to be asked to contribute with the game on the line, exception being Scott Westerfied, and thank God for Scott Westerfield.
When you tell a guy like a Witt Haggard that he's not welcome, you're saying- "We're glad you want to be on the team, but screw you. Go play for Ole Miss". And that's even more ridiculous considering that QB is not exactly a position that we're loaded at to start with.
On top of that, Dan's central recruiting theme is to get all of the best players in Mississippi. I think that should go beyond the 25 that we get to commit, and of course beyond that, the rest are walk-ons. If we're going to limit ourselves to the top 20 players in the state, and then say only five diamonds on the rough from Puckett, we are still running the risk that we are going to miss a player that might walk-on and be really good.
Most importantly though, this is no way to treat someone that is/was a Bulldog fan. It's just bad PR. Whether the guy takes a snap or not. I find it really hard to believe that with 20 spots, we couldn't find a spot for another QB that is a State fan.