Question

[Actionthrill]

With Fran and the other coaches being such great recruiters do you think they will bring in better PWOs?

 

[CbusCuse]

Possibly. I'd think available NIL money for PWO's plays a large factor in this.

 

[SUDadx2]

https://x.com/tdotbrew/status/1745518772729880763?s=46&t=1twtFBPLdM5KQMfgFMm7Zg

Wasn’t there an open tryout on campus last week? Any word about that event? Just holding this event leads me to believe Coach Fran wants more walk-in’s in the program.

Not necessarily better, but I think this staff will bring in more. The previous staff usually had approximately 20 walk-ons on the roster while both Texas AM and Georgia carry 40 or more walk-ons. If you bring in more the odds are in your favor to have a few more make meaningful contributions. How much more room is there in the locker room?

Holding a scholarship or two back each year as a carrot for those walk-ons will attract better players who want that carrot. There’s not much attraction is you’ve only rewarded one walk-on player with a scholarship in recent memory. Other than Darton, who was the last walk-on to earn at scholarship at Syracuse?

Last year Dolan and Porter played on special teams. Mario Escobar returned some kicks and got some snaps at RB in 2022. Ian Hawkins handled the punt duties late in 22 after a couple of scholarship kickers got sick. AJ Calabro played on special teams before that. Recently a couple of walk-ons seem to get more playing time than some of the scholarship players. That’s not easy cause coaches tend to play kids they recruited sometimes just to validate their recruitment. In spring of 22 Clay Masters ran with the 2’s all spring then right before the spring game he got bumped to third team for an early entry freshman. That freshman got torched early in the spring game and eventually Masters moved back to second team during that game. Later that freshman moved to receiver and eventually transferred to a JC. Last season I heard of a walk-on who got bumped from the travel roster to appease a freshman scholarship player who never saw the field. The life of a walk-on isn’t an easy one.

Being an expensive private university could affect the type of walk-on Syracuse is able to attract. I don’t care how much grant and aid you throw at a walk-on there is usually still a balance owed at the end of the day.

 

[PhatOrange]

Better preferred walkons? I think probably not.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

PWO is a rough sell with tuition costs what they are. I assume the walk-on programs at UGA and A&M are filled by state residents (paying relatively low in-state tuition) who grew up fans, and played big time high school football. There are also far less D-3 programs in those states to compete with.

I hope the big collectives don't spend a nickel on NIL for walk-ons (in the revenue sportsr). SU is already fighting an uphill battle there and that money should be used to retain and attract the main contributors.

 

[SuFTW]

Possibly. I'd think available NIL money for PWO's plays a large factor in this.

Probably better to spend the NIL money on scholarship players.

 

[UnknownOrange]

A rising tide lifts all boats

Maybe not better PWOs but if you're bringing in a higher caliber player across the board, the bottom 20% of your roster will be better than in years past theoretically.

 

[CbusCuse]

Probably better to spend the NIL money on scholarship players.

Agreed. But if there is some money there, throwing some money at a PWO QB could be beneficial. If not depth wise scout team wise at least.

 

[SuFTW]

Agreed. But if there is some money there throwing some money at a PWO QB could be beneficial. If not depth wise scout team wise at least.

That’s a good point regarding the QB position, maybe a kicker also when the time comes and we are less carefree about giving kickers scholarships.

 

[All4SU]

Possibly. I'd think available NIL money for PWO's plays a large factor in this.

Who is going to pay walk-one? Do their signatures have intrinsic value? Are the superiors brand spokespersons? Are they models? Voice talent?

What Name, Image or Likeness value do they bring to the provider of the funds?

For the 10,000th time I will ask, is there no accountability in NIL at all? None? What services are these 17,18,19-years olds providing to earn those dollars?

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

Who is going to pay walk-one? Do their signatures have intrinsic value? Are the superiors brand spokespersons? Are they models? Voice talent?

What Name, Image or Likeness value do they bring to the provider of the funds?

For the 10,000th time I will ask, is there no accountability in NIL at all? None? What services are these 17,18,19-years olds providing to earn those dollars?

I think there is school accountability. The NCAA can't really police booster/collective accountability at all. Thus, it seems the only overarching rule is that the school can't be involved. FSU just got penalized when an assistant coach drove a recruit to a meeting with a NIL collective representative.

 

[CbusCuse]

Who is going to pay walk-one? Do their signatures have intrinsic value? Are the superiors brand spokespersons? Are they models? Voice talent?

What Name, Image or Likeness value do they bring to the provider of the funds?

For the 10,000th time I will ask, is there no accountability in NIL at all? None? What services are these 17,18,19-years olds providing to earn those dollars?

Yes we all know there is no actual literal name image and likeness value. But that isn't how the system is working.

 

[All4SU]

Yes we all know there is no actual literal name image and likeness value. But that isn't how the system is working.

Hence, the “system” is no system. And it isn’t working.

 

[cayugacuse]

Agreed. But if there is some money there, throwing some money at a PWO QB could be beneficial. If not depth wise scout team wise at least.

Makes me think of Zack Mahoney.