4/16/2020 football Edit

Greg Schiano talks importance of walk-ons, not being done with 2020 class

Richie O'Leary • TheKnightReport

Publisher

Over the past couple of months, Rutgers Football has been able to add a slew Of preferred walk-on commits to the class of 2020. The group consists of lower level transfers and various high school kids from across the country, some of which chose to attend Rutgers as a walk-on over full ride scholarships elsewhere.

On Thursday, The Knight Report asked Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano about the importance of walk-ons and why it was key to add so many talented players via the process.

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“I think it’s critical," Schiano said in regards to adding quality PWO recruits. "If you remember back to our program the first go around here, that was always a huge part of our program. In 11 years, we had seven captains that were walk-ons. They ended up earning scholarships and becoming captains. That doesn’t happen by accident. If it happens once or twice, that may be by chance, but when it happens seven of 11 years that is because we really value the walk-on program and the walk-ons themselves."

Schiano believes that a ton of good players slip through the college football evaluation process and no one really knows how guys will develop in the future.

"To anybody who thinks that they have a science on the evaluation of football players, especially guys in their teens on how they are going to develop, I think they are kidding themselves," said Schiano. "I think you help your program when you can find like-minded guys that come from a similar belief system that really want to be part of your program at Rutgers. When I say we're looking for Rutgers guys, we are looking for guys that want to be a part of what we are building. Guys that are willing to work very very hard, guys that are willing to be unselfish and put the team before themselves. When you can identify those guys, in addition to your scholarship players, you get some real quality football players. Whether they're local guys that want to stay home represent their state or whether they're guys from out of town that you know one of opportunity to get a great education play big time Big Ten football, we really work hard at landing those guys. Does that take time? Absolutely, but to me it’s time well spent.”

At the moment, the Scarlet Knights currently have 18 total preferred walk-on commits to go along with their 2020 scholarship class, a class that still has a scholarship or two left that could be used via the transfer portal.

"We are never done. You are always looking," Schiano said. "It’s always a fluid state when building your team and managing your roster. I think the portal will probably be less because their is no spring football to give guys that kind of writing on the wall. There’s a lot of rules that are being voted on this spring that could change the availability of transfers and that kind of thing. It really is a fluid subject and as a head coach you really need to stay on top of because there is opportunity there and you have to be aware of it. We just try to stay as aware of it as we can.”