List of walk-on freshmen

[MP24]

Dumas (Ark.) offensive lineman Johnny Gibson
McGregor (Texas) quarterback Troy Allison
Little Rock's Cameron Colbert
Watson Chapel (Ark.) linebacker Josh Harris
Bentonville (Ark.) offensive lineman Jackson Hannah
Greenwood (Ark.) linebacker Keegan Heller
St. Louis (Mo.) defensive back Garrett Krueger
The Woodlands (Texas) defensive back Ryder Lewis
The Woodlands (Texas) running back Connor McPherson
Edmond (Okla.) wide receiver Luke Rossi
Owasso (Okla.) kicker Lane Saling

http://arkansas.247sports.com/Bolt/Dumas-Johnny-Gibson-heads-list-of-walk-on-freshmen-joining-Hogs-30003602

[azhog10]

Are these preferred walk-ons?

[HogWildBison2011]

Johnny Gibson 6'5 312 Lb OT
http://247sports.com/Player/Johnny-Gibson-26426
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1688246/highlights/31141432


Troy Allison 6'2 180 Lb QB
http://247sports.com/Player/Troy-Allison-66374
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1888719/troy-allison


Cameron Colbert 6'2 190 Lb WR
No 247
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/147986/cameron-colbert


Josh Harris 5'11 210 Lb OLB
http://247sports.com/Player/Josh-Harris-40702
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1543071/joshua-harris


Jackson Hannah 6'2 285 Lb OG
No 247
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/493769/jackson-hannah


Keegan Heller 6'0 220 Lb LB
No 247
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/383959/keegan-heller


Garrett Krueger 5'11 187 Lb DB
No 247
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/348589/garrett-krueger


Ryder Lewis DB I believe his is # 3
Can't find a profile or film (HUDL or youtube)


Connor McPherson 5'8 200 Lb RB
http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/connor-mcpherson/_vdC0_TrEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/gendersport/football-stats.htm
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/509168/connor-mcpherson


Luke Rossi 5'11 186 Lb WR
No 247
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/581958/luke-rossi


Lane Saling
5'9 145 Lb Kicker
No 247
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1822051/lane-saling

Stand By adding the rest & their hudl

[HogWildBison2011]

And I can't wait to see Josh Harris and Keegan Heller redshirted with an extra year or two under their belt... their HUDL is pretty impressive.

[King TUSKankahamun]

I'm glad all these young men want to be Hogs. My question is how often does a walk ok see the field?

[HogWildBison2011]

I'm glad all these young men want to be Hogs. My question is how often does a walk ok see the field?

If I'm not mistaken JJ Watt walked onto Wisco as a TE from Central Mich.. And one that immediately comes to mind was the LB from MSU that made the game saving tackle against Stanford last season. He was replacing a veteran LB out due to injury and made the biggest play of the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe790J4UZNo

copy link and put it in the address bar.. Youtube button isn't working for some reason

[RxRazorback]

Really appreciate the info.

[MP24]

As a walk-on who became a four-year starting nose guard and a team captain on football scholarship at the University of Iowa, Bret Bielema appreciates walk-ons wherever he coaches.

Arkansas has a tradition of first-class walk-ons, most notably the late Brandon Burlsworth of Harrison. Burlsworth more waddled on than walked on as an overweight freshman in 1994 but concluded as a 1998 All-American offensive guard and four-year letterman.

Walk-ons deserve first-class treatment, Bielema said.

"When I first got here the walk-ons were in a different locker room than the other players," Bielema said. "The other players got four tickets for home games and the walk-ons got two. They were treated like a second-class citizen and that made no sense to me. So we changed that policy right away and we really emphasized the recruitment of walk-ons."

Bielema said his best Razorbacks walk-on for 2013, who was awarded a scholarship before last season's first game, is one few know: senior three-year snapper Alan D'Appollonio.

"He snapped every snap last year," Bielema said. "The reason you don't know his name is he doesn't screw up."

http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2014/jul/30/ua-walk-ons-more-than-just-another-body/

[pheine78]

As a walk-on who became a four-year starting nose guard and a team captain on football scholarship at the University of Iowa, Bret Bielema appreciates walk-ons wherever he coaches.

Arkansas has a tradition of first-class walk-ons, most notably the late Brandon Burlsworth of Harrison. Burlsworth more waddled on than walked on as an overweight freshman in 1994 but concluded as a 1998 All-American offensive guard and four-year letterman.

Walk-ons deserve first-class treatment, Bielema said.

"When I first got here the walk-ons were in a different locker room than the other players," Bielema said. "The other players got four tickets for home games and the walk-ons got two. They were treated like a second-class citizen and that made no sense to me. So we changed that policy right away and we really emphasized the recruitment of walk-ons."

Bielema said his best Razorbacks walk-on for 2013, who was awarded a scholarship before last season's first game, is one few know: senior three-year snapper Alan D'Appollonio.

"He snapped every snap last year," Bielema said. "The reason you don't know his name is he doesn't screw up."

http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2014/jul/30/ua-walk-ons-more-than-just-another-body/

Ahhh.......the life of a long snapper.  I have similar job (at least in noticeability).  It only gets noticed if something messes up.  It makes you work hard to be perfect, but is also pretty mind numbing for the same reasons.

[nwahogfan1]

Hard to say who will stick with it.  TOugh road as a WO.  I saw a couple OLM, 2 LBs and a couple WRs that I thought had a chance to play down the road.

Good luck to all.


Good stuff.

[Hawgzinbowlz]

Coach Bielema's history with walk on programs make me think we'll have a high level walk on program sooner rather than later.
A walk on at Arkansas has a legitimate shot at playing time if they possess the talent.
Thanks for the list.

" GO HOGS "

[moses_007]

I'm glad all these young men want to be Hogs. My question is how often does a walk ok see the field?

Depends on how good he is and becomes.  Some walk-ons become starters fairly quickly.

[daprospecta]

As a walk-on who became a four-year starting nose guard and a team captain on football scholarship at the University of Iowa, Bret Bielema appreciates walk-ons wherever he coaches.

Arkansas has a tradition of first-class walk-ons, most notably the late Brandon Burlsworth of Harrison. Burlsworth more waddled on than walked on as an overweight freshman in 1994 but concluded as a 1998 All-American offensive guard and four-year letterman.

Walk-ons deserve first-class treatment, Bielema said.

"When I first got here the walk-ons were in a different locker room than the other players," Bielema said. "The other players got four tickets for home games and the walk-ons got two. They were treated like a second-class citizen and that made no sense to me. So we changed that policy right away and we really emphasized the recruitment of walk-ons."

Bielema said his best Razorbacks walk-on for 2013, who was awarded a scholarship before last season's first game, is one few know: senior three-year snapper Alan D'Appollonio.

"He snapped every snap last year," Bielema said. "The reason you don't know his name is he doesn't screw up."

http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2014/jul/30/ua-walk-ons-more-than-just-another-body/

I was a walk-on during the Nutt era and we were treated like sh** until they thought you could contribute.  My junior year was totally different than my first two.  I was on a partial scholarship by then but the first two.............. Their were some coaches who didn't care. Coach Markuson gave Stephen Parker a chance and he became a starter. We had different workouts and etc.  I told coach Decker(strength coach at the time) one day "I'm done doing this workout." It was pathetic compared to the lifting regimen of schollie players.  He didn't argue because he knew I was right.  I took my workouts to the HPER.  I'm glad things are changing. 

[onebadrubi]

This a great thing for us in 2-3 years.  It will help greatly with depth.  You will 3-5 year players that will be around te program, know the ins and outs of the play book and situations, be ready at every moment to step up if someone goes down.  This also can allow a redshirt program to be better and more protected. 

[BigSexyHog]

Walk ons should always be part of the team no matter what.  Guess I am surprised at how bad they were treated over the years.  Those guys get abused by the scholarship players.  Least they could do is be part of the program.

[BigD94]

The difference in some of these walk ons and a scholarship player, might just be high school development. Kid could be super talented and have an unlimited ceiling, but he went to a small high school, playing out of position, or a non existent weight program and sub par coaching and didnt get much of a look. Put these kids in Razorback weight program with excellent coaches and the right attitude, anything could happen.

[hawgsmellgud]

those pics look great, and I am glad to see that we picked up so many kids that played LB as well as other positions. I mean that has to be a fast sob, to play LB and OL. That is prolly a tough embre, that playes qb and Lb.

We have had Lb depth problems but that should be a thing of the past with the scholly's we signed and then all of these walk-ons that played lb as well as other positions.

[bennyl08]

Gibson: Are we looking at him as a OT or DT? He played both in his highlights. From his hurl, this guy has basically no technique but is quite ferocious. I mean, plumb mad-dog mean. Also, a very quick first step or two. Based on that, I would guess DT, but OP listed him on the O-line. Even then, I would guess more guard than tackle, but we have the best OL coach in the biz, so I trust the coaches in every area over my own opinion, but doubly so there.

Allison: Fairly inconsistent it seems. Vs. Salado he showed accuracy and some mobility, but his arm strength looked pitiful. Then, vs Yoe, he doesn't have great arm strength, but you see him zip the ball off of one foot on a roll out and throw a 40 yard pass right on the money. Sure, he showed some touch passes vs Yoe too, but vs Salado, none of his throws looked like he could put any zip. Maybe he was a bit hurt, possibly inconsistent footwork, I'm not sure. Given what we have and have coming in the future, I doubt he becomes the starter, but if he can become consistent, then he can be an asset to our team and preparations.

Colbert: I like his highlights a lot. He probably won't be as fast in the SEC as he appears in HS, but at 6'2", he can develop into a possession type receiver, plus, he has good enough speed. On top of that, I like his willingness to be a blocker. This is a guy who could at least see the field as a walk-on, possibly get a scholly.

Josh Harris: Reminds me a bit of our incoming LB'ers. He needs to gain some size, but he's pretty quick and seems to diagnose plays very well (though these are highlights, and could just show when he guessed right...

Hannah: How did this guy not get a scholarship somewhere? He is very athletic and can block pretty well. This is a guy who could at least see the field in a reserve role if he can put on some more weight. If weight is an issue, he could be a formidable blocking TE.

Heller: His tape looks like a stronger Ramsey. Both guys were undersized LB'ers who almost exclusively played on the DL. Difference is, Heller would actually bull rush the OL players and looked good vs the run, while Ramsey displayed more speed and agility. Given that neither will be rushing the qb as their primary objective, hips and speed are a bit more important. However, he still looks very good getting through the block to the ball carrier.

Kreuger: Has some ball skills and toughness. If he makes an impact, my main guess would be at free safety. Probably doesn't have the speed to be a WR or CB, but he can sit back, catch any errant throws, or read and react, sticking his nose in there on run plays when needed.

McPherson: I think he was that #31 people were talking about in spring. Wow, he is super quick, and surprisingly tough to take down. He's like Wes Welker at RB. Great vision, displays patience, and can really cut. It looks like each play he does is the Fish play.

Rossi: First, the bronchos? Second, he plays like a big receiver for sure, though he's only 5'11. I admit, I'm starting to burn out on watching the vids, so I wasn't as careful on his. He looked solid though.

Saling: Similar to above, I didn't want to watch a lot of extra point clips. On his 41 yard FG (longest of the season) I really wanted to see how much room to spare there was, but the camera angle didn't allow. On the One kickoff I watched, it was done from the 40 instead of the usual 35, so I was prepared to subtract 5 from that distance. However, he kicked well past the end zone, so even from the 35, that would  have gone deep in the end zone which is good.

Best of luck to all of these razorbacks.

[ComeonHogs!!!]

  Is this the full list? 85 scholarship 20 walk ons = 105. is this right?

[HogWildBison2011]

  Is this the full list? 85 scholarship 20 walk ons = 105. is this right?

That is correct

[joshUARK]

Ryder Lewis is the white guy in the pic, FYI. #3.

[HogWildBison2011]

Ryder Lewis is the white guy in the pic, FYI. #3.

Changed it, Thanks I was having a hard time finding anything online about him.

[Cure]

CBB is looking for the next Jared Abbrederis.

[swinesation]

In my unprofessional opinion, I'd say the OL Hannah has a chance to be very good, as well as the LB Josh Harris. At the very least, Harris could be a beast on special teams.

That McPherson is a helluva HS football player, but not sure it'll translate to D-1 football.

[MP24]

Tight end AJ Derby and kicker John Henson were given scholarships Sunday for their senior season. Coach Bret Bielema, a former walk-on in college, has now awarded full scholarships to nine walk-ons in the last two years.

Current scholarship players who began their careers as walk-ons include tight end Alex Voelzke, defensive tackle Mitchell Loewen, fullback Patrick Arinze, long snapper Alan D'Appollonio, defensive end Jake Hall and fullback Tyler Colquitt,

http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2014/aug/11/derby-henson-given-scholarships/

[Paul]

Was Anthony Antwine sp?  A walk on last yr?

[scruf]

That list of walk-ons look like what Houston Nutt used to close out his recruiting classes with on oversigning day. It's always great to get those "2*" to walk on and earn scholarships. A lot of times they show some of the more highly recruited guys what work looks like. All these kids are reportedly very high-character types from the stories I've read about them througout the spring and summer. Welcome aboard and GHG!

[HometownHawg]

Just a clarification it's Ryder Lucas.

[tophawg19]

conner is a Full back . might fill a need