State schools feel effects of NU's push for more walk-ons
The shift from Frank Solich to Bill Callahan as head Nebraska coach left two of the top running backs in the country — North Platte native Danny Woodhead (Chadron State) and Beatrice graduate Xavier Omon (Northwest Missouri State) — playing NCAA Division II football instead of taking a chance to walk on at NU.
After Callahan took over, Nebraska’s walk-on program was trimmed and the state college football programs benefited.
It’s pretty expensive to turn down a scholarship and walk on somewhere else.
“For years and years, under Tom Osborne, we saw kids turn us down to walk on at Nebraska and they had 180 or more kids in their program,” said University of Nebraska at Kearney coach Darrell Morris. “Callahan cut that back and we all started getting more of those kids. Now, we’re all going to lose 20 to 25 kids a year that will walk on at NU rather than play at a Division II school.
“I understand a kid wanting to live that dream. But so few make it who would play here for three or four years,” he said.
Last season, UNO was ranked No. 1 most of year and finished No. 7. Chadron State was ranked No. 3 most of the season and finished ranked sixth. UNK, a perennial Division II power had a 6-4 record and uncharacteristically missed the playoffs. Wayne State posted its best record in more than a decade and reached the Mineral Water Bowl.
“I think we all benefitted from a watered-down walk-on program at Nebraska,” Morris said.
The renewed emphasis on walk-ons at NU has had immediate effects on the other college football programs in the state.
“Absolutely, the Nebraska walk-on program is back and it’s changed our recruiting,” said Dan McLaughlin, head coach at Wayne State and a former graduate assistant at Nebraska.
He said Nebraska high school football players are inundated with recruiting pitches from inside the state and from other schools, such as Iowa State, Wyoming, Colorado State, Northwest Missouri State, South Dakota and South Dakota and Washburn.
The fact new NU coach Bo Pelini said he will double the size of Nebraska’s walk-on program from the current 35 to about 65 increases the competition for recruits.
“I understand that any kid growing up in Nebraska wants to go there and try to live the dream,” said Chadron State coach Bill O’Boyle. “But those kids are paying some $18,000 to go there and maybe never see the field, where they could be three- or four-year players with a scholarship here.”
O’Boyle said he could think of three specific recruits he thought were going to accept scholarships with the Eagles and are now walking on at Nebraska: Jase Dean of Bridgeport, Taylor Dixon of Wauneta and Keifer Burke of Maxwell.
UNO coach Pat Behrns said he ran into the Husker walk-on revival a couple of times when recruiting this season. He also lost his starting punter, Jon Damkroger, a Norris High School graduate who is transferring to Nebraska along with quarterback Steve Heiman of Papillion-La Vista and receiver Joe Partington of Grand Island.
“Nebraska wanted to make changes and make a big splash in public relations after last year and announcing the walk-on program was getting revved up was part of that,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a good move for them. I lost maybe five or six kids who I thought we’d have here, but you never tell a kid to deny his dream of playing at Nebraska.”
O”Boyle added: “We never give up. We send the cards out. We tell them we’ll leave the lights on if they change their mind.”
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or at khambleton@journalstar.com.
After Callahan took over, Nebraska’s walk-on program was trimmed and the state college football programs benefited.
It’s pretty expensive to turn down a scholarship and walk on somewhere else.
“For years and years, under Tom Osborne, we saw kids turn us down to walk on at Nebraska and they had 180 or more kids in their program,” said University of Nebraska at Kearney coach Darrell Morris. “Callahan cut that back and we all started getting more of those kids. Now, we’re all going to lose 20 to 25 kids a year that will walk on at NU rather than play at a Division II school.
“I understand a kid wanting to live that dream. But so few make it who would play here for three or four years,” he said.
Last season, UNO was ranked No. 1 most of year and finished No. 7. Chadron State was ranked No. 3 most of the season and finished ranked sixth. UNK, a perennial Division II power had a 6-4 record and uncharacteristically missed the playoffs. Wayne State posted its best record in more than a decade and reached the Mineral Water Bowl.
“I think we all benefitted from a watered-down walk-on program at Nebraska,” Morris said.
The renewed emphasis on walk-ons at NU has had immediate effects on the other college football programs in the state.
“Absolutely, the Nebraska walk-on program is back and it’s changed our recruiting,” said Dan McLaughlin, head coach at Wayne State and a former graduate assistant at Nebraska.
He said Nebraska high school football players are inundated with recruiting pitches from inside the state and from other schools, such as Iowa State, Wyoming, Colorado State, Northwest Missouri State, South Dakota and South Dakota and Washburn.
The fact new NU coach Bo Pelini said he will double the size of Nebraska’s walk-on program from the current 35 to about 65 increases the competition for recruits.
“I understand that any kid growing up in Nebraska wants to go there and try to live the dream,” said Chadron State coach Bill O’Boyle. “But those kids are paying some $18,000 to go there and maybe never see the field, where they could be three- or four-year players with a scholarship here.”
O’Boyle said he could think of three specific recruits he thought were going to accept scholarships with the Eagles and are now walking on at Nebraska: Jase Dean of Bridgeport, Taylor Dixon of Wauneta and Keifer Burke of Maxwell.
UNO coach Pat Behrns said he ran into the Husker walk-on revival a couple of times when recruiting this season. He also lost his starting punter, Jon Damkroger, a Norris High School graduate who is transferring to Nebraska along with quarterback Steve Heiman of Papillion-La Vista and receiver Joe Partington of Grand Island.
“Nebraska wanted to make changes and make a big splash in public relations after last year and announcing the walk-on program was getting revved up was part of that,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a good move for them. I lost maybe five or six kids who I thought we’d have here, but you never tell a kid to deny his dream of playing at Nebraska.”
O”Boyle added: “We never give up. We send the cards out. We tell them we’ll leave the lights on if they change their mind.”
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or at khambleton@journalstar.com.
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