Expert: Thom Brooks - 11/14/2007

Question
QUESTION: Dear Thomas Brooks, i want to play S in college as a walk on, either free or strong, both are distinctly different in a base cover 3 shell, but not so much in a base cover 2, my ? is tho, if i were to walk on as a S what would u look for me to do as a S, what would i have to show that i can do to be a good S at D-1? What would it take for me trying out as a S to impress you aside from hard work and determination which i promise you i am capable of showing. Thanks.

ANSWER: Steven, I hope the following answer from my friend will help answer your inquiry!!

Have a great day and listen to my son's band at:

myspace.com/listen2three



Coach:

(Bear with me on the length of the email here..) I would answer like this: In order to walk-on in Division I, you have to expect to be a punching bag on the scout team, and expect to "get at the back of the line" so to speak. A very real scenario was the movie "Rudy". Some teams maybe different than others in terms of how walk-ons are treated, but I would say unless he has above-average talent, he's going to be treated as a scrub basically, and that's most schools.. He has to understand that these schools have made an investment in someone with scholarship athletes, and they get priority. That's NOT to say that walk-ons can't make it. Look at P.J. Daniels, running back for Tech. He walked-on and was all ACC! I've even seen walk-ons who were much better than the scholarship athletes at their respective position, and never got put on scholarship!  Tell him he can expect PLENTY of nepotism for the contracted atheltes because there is an investment already made in them and to them.

I really couldn't make a overall recommendation as to which position he  should shoot for because I haven't seen his talent at FS or SS. A Strong safety is NOT a defensive back; you're an outside LB... Two different positions.  I was thinking that if he was considering FS, he might be more inclined towards cornerback than SS. The average SS back when I played @ Tech weighed 210. Your average FS was less than that by like 15-20 lbs.. How much does he weigh, and what is the current depth chart looking like at the school he's considering?? If he is considering a top SEC or ACC school, it certainly wouldn't hurt to try out, but he can expect to be a punching bag for at least a while anyway. How are his hands? Can he catch? A lot of schools need depth at wide receiver. If he can catch and can do routes well, I might encourage him to consider that. In fact, he may just find that to be a real opportunity.

More and more, schools are finding that there are indeed some good talent in walk-ons who come their way. I'm not discouraging this athlete by no means. All I'm saying is there are only "so many" scholarships given each year. The schools who recruit and give these scholarships are partial to the contracted athletes. The teams DO look at the talent of the walk-ons. Very few make it to scholarship status. That's not to say that he can't. I wouldn't put all his eggs in one basket and settle for FS or SS. Tell him to consider wide-out on offense as well if he has some speed and good hands.

Wolfman

p.s. there are some damn good smaller schools like Davidson, Hampden-Sydney, Washington and Lee to name a few that he might consider. Washington and Lee is a school I was considering playing for. It's in Lexington, VA. They are Div III which offer no athletic scholarships, but offer academic scholarships in lieu of an athletic one. I got an offer from them on an academic scholarship to play ball, and also Davidson (Div II) on an athletic one. Both are really damn good schools. Davidson is in NC and is a very very good school.  Tell him not to worry about D-I so much unless he's passionate about playing D-I only. The school and and what it offers should be priority. Plus, his chances for a ride might be better on a smaller school level if he walks on.  I had 4 D-I offers, and sometimes I wished I would've considered Davidson or W & L,  smaller schools. State Rep. Jack Kingston's son plays ball at Hampden-Sydney, which is located in Va. - Damn good school. These schools cost about $28 K a year. If he can get a ride from them, I'd say GO!  A lot of Country Day students have ended up at these schools after HS, and now do very well in their careers. - Wolfman



________________________________
> From: COMPNYBIZ@aol.com
> Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:11:34 -0500
> Subject: Fwd: AllExperts Question
> To: scjurgensen@msn.com
>
> Wolfman, read the message below and tell me the best answer.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Thom
>








Steven, hello!

One of the fellas I coach on our Men's Baseball Team played both positions four years at Georgia Tech.  I have emailed him to give you one of the best answers available.  If he's in town this week, I will hear from him and get back to you quickly.  If not, you will hear from me when he returns to his computer!!

Take care,

Thom Brooks
Savannah, Georgia

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Thomas Brooks, i wanted to thank you for your answer for it has helped me alot, i am a senior right now in highschool and i am applying to university if texas el paso because my grades are good enough to get into that school, so i am going to walk on there. Also to be more specifically of my body type for Coach Wolfman's response, I stand at about 5'10, i weigh in at 205, My 40 is a 4.7/4.8(I am going to work on speed, acceleration, and agility this off season), and my shuttle is a 4.2, although nothing is better than watching film to evaluate a player, this is all i can show for words now. I have played both FS and SS so it will be nice to hear your friend's experiences from Tech. Thanks again for the responses from everyone.

P.S.= since I'm a senior now when do you think it will be a good time to contact the coach from UTEP to let him know that i want to walk on and try out?

Answer

Coach,

Nice to hear from this athlete. If you can pass this on to him (based on the position he's shooting for), tell him to work on sprints in the off-season. Sprints, sprints, and more sprints. Everyday or every other day if he can. Stretch well EVERYDAY. This is what we did in the off-season at Tech. Do plenty of 40-yd dash and 100-yd dash sprints and plenty of cardio-conditioning in the off-season. One thing coaches love is SPEED at any position, but at SS or FS in D-I, you don't have a choice; You MUST possess it.. By doing sprints, this is how you get faster in the 40. If he really wants to make an immediate impression by working hard, coming to summer camp prior to the season with SPEED and in great shape will get the coaches' attention. He says he's about a 4.7 - 4.8 in the 40. To be competitive at D-I at SS, you have to be about a 4.5 to 4.8;  and FS a 4.3 - 4.6 in the 40. Speed is one of the main factors in the athletes getting scholarships at these positions in the first place. This would be huge for him to knock off .2 or .3 secs or more in his 40 yard dash speed.  Doing so will get the attention of the coaches for sure.  They will also do a strength analysis before the season. All teams do, and bet your bottom dollar they look at that in a big way.. Bench press, squat, and power-cleans. My freshman year at summer camp, most of the incoming freshman players at SS were benching 315 or better, and squatting 380 or better. Also, work on the vertical jump and agility drills. These are huge too. These are all things the coaches are going to look at when reporting to summer camp. Mark my word.

UTEP is in a competitive conference and you can bet on it that coaches are going to look for those who stand out - whether or not on scholarship. He sounds like he has a lot of heart and passion. I wish him the best. Please tell him to stay positive, focused, and never let anyone tell him he CAN'T do it!  

Wolfman

p.s. UTEP is a good school. Yes, he should contact the coach and tell him his intentions.
p.p.s. - Back in the day when I was at Tech, we had a transfer QB who came in from UTEP. He was 6'9"!  Yes, 6'9", and had an unforgettable throwing arm. He could throw the ball 60 yards on a line with no arc! You had to see it to believe it. It was awesome! He would've gotten more playing time, but he ran into some problem with grades. That's why you never heard of him. Otherwise, he certainly would've played.  








Contact the Texas El Paso Coach immediately!!

I wish you the best career and let me know your progress so we can pull for you over the next 4 years!

Thom Brooks