Within the ranks of college football, walk-ons play a really important role. They fill out the scout team and work their tails off to help their teammates prepare. Yet they rarely get the recognition of their scholarship counterparts.
Take it a step further at the FCS level, where it’s very common for the walk-ons to actually get significant playing time due to the scholarship limits. Enter Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante, who this week awarded scholarships to two walk-ons - and we were surprised to see who they were!
Work hard and dreams do come true! Awesome seeing such great guys earn scholarships today! #TapTheRock pic.twitter.com/fdPbrX8xHA
— Mark Powell \\V// (@coachpow_nova) December 12, 2016
These aren’t just walk-ons, but two of the best players on the team. John Hinchen is one of the best punters in the CAA, and TE Ryan Bell had a breakout season with 434 yards receiving and 7 TDs.
Well deserved for both players, and great to see their teammates recognize them for their effort as well.