Darius Walker Redux - Where Would You Play?

[SteveM]

Read this one through boys and tell me what you think.

I was thinking about Darius Walker in a more general sense.

Say you get recruited by ND along with a bunch of other schools. You are All-State in PA. Good but not great size. You know the competition at ND is fierce. You could go to a Cornell or Villanova or even D1 like Wake and also get a great education and be sure to play.

Now consider:
Unlike basketball and baseball, football gives you no other outlet to play. In college, there's no JV, no summer leagues. So if you don't start, you don't play. So you come into ND as an All-State but could ride the bench for 4 years. You practice every g-d day for 4 years without meaningful playing time.

A guy who was a HS senior when I was a frosh did that. All-State DT in PA. Scholarship to ND. Sat as guard for 4 years. Could of went to BC and played.

I know I couldn't do it. ND is special, but it don't beat playing time. What would you do?

 

[IRISHDODGER]

Tough call. If I had come to the realization that football is not my future vocation, I'd go to ND...but at 18 we all think we can play w/ anyone. I think I'd have to lean on my dad's advice along w/ that of other coaches. Let them shoot you straight on when/where you could see playing time & then add that insight to your academics preference, social scene, etc. & go from there.

My dad told shot me straight when I started college & wanted to play college baseball. He said that I could bounce around to JUCOs & NAIA or lower division schools for the sole purpose of continuing to play or I could face reality, go to school, get my degree & work towards the future b/c I was at the age where it was obvious that MLB was not in my future. Considering I'd be paying most of my way thru school, I stuck to the books...& social life & bid baseball adieu.

 

[KAPLAN]

If you love ND and dream about wearing the golden helmet and the school I would have gone to ND. If you just want to play the game and ND is not that special go else where. If academics is very important than ND is the place for you. Personally I would have eaten pine just for a chance to wear the golden helmet but I was no all state player and recived one recuiting letter and I thought it was a joke.

 

[Clausen2Kamara]

Tough call. If I had come to the realization that football is not my future vocation, I'd go to ND...but at 18 we all think we can play w/ anyone. I think I'd have to lean on my dad's advice along w/ that of other coaches. Let them shoot you straight on when/where you could see playing time & then add that insight to your academics preference, social scene, etc. & go from there.

My dad told shot me straight when I started college & wanted to play college baseball. He said that I could bounce around to JUCOs & NAIA or lower division schools for the sole purpose of continuing to play or I could face reality, go to school, get my degree & work towards the future b/c I was at the age where it was obvious that MLB was not in my future. Considering I'd be paying most of my way thru school, I stuck to the books...& social life & bid baseball adieu.

Dad told me the same thing. I high school I was an undersized OLB but I racked up some pretty good stats and got partial offers from some small time colleges. Now, I love football and always will...but my dad made me realize that playing ball at a small time college is not goin 2 pay the bills. I'm glad I listened, though I definetly miss strappin on those pads.

 

[SteveM]

I went to Drexel U in Philly. They dropped football after my freshman year. I didn't transfer because I wasn't as hungry. My brother though captained Villanova in the mid-70's. They were 1A then and actually beat BC his senior year.

But he said looking back, it was a real grind. But he played. He says now that the grind without the satisfaction of playing wouldn't be worth it if he to do it for 4 or even 3 years. Man 4 years of putting on pads and only rarely going live? I couldn't think of anything more frustrating.

I guess this is a more philosophical meander about college sports in general. But I played rugby on a club team as an outlet and it was simple and fun. I know from my perspective now if it were a choice between 4 years on the stadium bench or rugby, I'd choose rugby for sure no matter what the college team was. Because in the end competing is what it's all about.

 

[Rocket's Rocket Fan]

I was in the same boat as you Dodger. I was got letters from a couple MAC schools for baseball. It was hard to choose, playing the game I love and played all my life or give it up and go elsewhere. My parents ended up convincing me to go where I could get a better education. After two years its still hard to swallow, but I'm glad I went for the education.

 

[kjones]

This is one of the reasons I loved coming to ND, you get an awesome degree, and you can still play full-pad football for your dorm. I'm not sure if it would work at other schools, but it's awesome here. And if your Grandpa who died when you were 4 years old was kind enough to leave you a trust fund that would pay for you whole college tuition even though your dad is HS teacher, well, you just thank God for your blessings.

I was a good O-Lineman in HS, getting all-League honors both Junior and Senior year, though we never made it past the first round in our section playoffs (this is Cali we're talking about here, getting to the Norcal playoffs is ridiculous, just imagine i said "State" if you're from somewhere else). But I was way undersized for college ball, the only coach I really talked to was at MIT (my other choice) and that probably would have been only slightly more intense than interhall. But either way, school was more important.

As for DWalk, even if he doesn't make it in the NFL, he's got a great degree to fall back on, and some great memories, I wouldn't have done any different. Playing time at a lesser school wouldn't trump an ND degree in my book.

 

[IrishAlum1997]

Um...unless I missed something, he doesn't have that degree.

Happy 400th post to me.