Key lost the HC job today?

GTHomer

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
916
The converse of that argument is that Key developed a walk-on into a starting OL on a P5 program.
Not sure if this was posted but there is a good article in the 11/3 AJC about Joe Fusile.


His goal since a tenth grader was to come to GT, scholarship or not. He was also recently recognized as a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the nation’s top player who began his career as a walk-on. Article is a good read about another one of our student athletes. The 'key' to his development was old fashioned hard work and maximizing the opportunities that came his way.
 

awbuzz

Helluva Manager
Staff member
Messages
12,048
Location
Marietta, GA
Not sure if this was posted but there is a good article in the 11/3 AJC about Joe Fusile.


His goal since a tenth grader was to come to GT, scholarship or not. He was also recently recognized as a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the nation’s top player who began his career as a walk-on. Article is a good read about another one of our student athletes. The 'key' to his development was old fashioned hard work and maximizing the opportunities that came his way.
Worth the time to read the article, so just make the effort to do so.
 

slugboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,431
One article I liked about walk ons: Examining the Process of Being a College Football Walk On.

Unless you're under scholarship restrictions, an FBS team has 85 scholarships to give. They can have 130 players on the team. On average, a team is going to have at least 33 walk-ons, and at the P5 level I'd often expect more. That means nearly 1/3rd of the players practicing day-in and day-out were walk-ons or used to be walk-ons. It's not crazy that a couple of your starters could come out of that pool.

To me, saying that walk-ons starting means you're doing a bad job coaching doesn't make sense--play the players that give you the best shot, no matter where they come from. Even in the NFL, which pays a lot for scouting, you have undrafted free agents going to the pro bowl; the overlooked guys break through.

A rational coach plays the player who is playing the best in games and in practice. In real life, an NCAA coach is more likely to give the start to a scholarship player, even if the walk-on is even with them in practice; you gave that guy a scholarship, so doesn't he "have to be better"? When you think about it that way, a walk-on has to be clearly better than the scholarship player, because the scholarship player is getting the benefit of the doubt.

So, don't tarnish a coach for playing a walk on--the walk on probably earned their position and then some.

What says you're not doing well is when the unit isn't playing well, whether it's starters or walk-ons.
 
Last edited:

g0lftime

Helluva Engineer
Messages
5,864
One article I liked about walk ons: Examining the Process of Being a College Football Walk On.

Unless you're under scholarship restrictions, an FBS team has 85 scholarships to give. They can have 130 players on the team. On average, a team is going to have at least 33 walk-ons, and at the P5 level I'd often expect more. That means nearly 1/3rd of the players practicing day-in and day-out were walk-ons or used to be walk-ons. It's not crazy that a couple of your starters could come out of that pool.

To me, saying that walk-ons starting means you're doing a bad job coaching doesn't make sense--play the players that give you the best shot, no matter where they come from. Even in the NFL, which pays a lot for scouting, you have undrafted free agents going to the pro bowl; the overlooked guys break through.

A rational coach plays the player who is playing the best in games and in practice. In real life, an NCAA coach is more likely to give the start to a scholarship player, even if the walk-on is even with them in practice; you gave that guy a scholarship, so doesn't he "have to be better"? When you think about it that way, a walk-on has to be clearly better than the scholarship player, because the scholarship player is getting the benefit of the doubt.

So, don't tarnish a coach for playing a walk on--the walk on probably earned their position and then some.

What says you're not doing well is when the unit isn't playing well, whether it's starters or walk-ons.
Sometimes it's hard to measure a guys heart and desire until they get a chance.
 

g0lftime

Helluva Engineer
Messages
5,864
Fusile is more than likely a Hope Scholar so he saves a FB scholly. Gets most everything else. Likely will be given one next year, he has earned it.
 

ScGold

Banned
Messages
532
He said a starting OL and not a scholarship OL. Joe is starting for us on OL and last time I checked ACC was still P5.
As i stated look at the results? Proof is in the pudding. Joe may start for tech which is potentially the worst line in all of college football. I guess congrats are in order?
 

ScGold

Banned
Messages
532
Fusile is more than likely a Hope Scholar so he saves a FB scholly. Gets most everything else. Likely will be given one next year, he has earned it.
If he is on hope to save a scholarship that is pathetic. The top schools don't do that. The school's that pull that crap generally stink like what we're watching. Funny how the OL has been a problem for what 7 years. It isn't rocket science.
 

Augusta_Jacket

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
8,090
Location
Augusta, Georgia
The OL not performing well is not necessarily an indication that the unit lacks talent, but rather that the unit is not playing well together, and botching assignments. My firm opinion is that the way CGC was running practices had a lot to do with our issues, as well as constantly going to the portal well to try and quick fix the development cycle. There's talent on the OL, and Fusile is one of those talents.

If a font has an issue with a walk-on playing, that says more about the font than the player in question.
 

slugboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,431
If he is on hope to save a scholarship that is pathetic. The top schools don't do that. The school's that pull that crap generally stink like what we're watching. Funny how the OL has been a problem for what 7 years. It isn't rocket science.
I posted a couple of articles earlier that you might want to check through. Walk-ons are an important part of every team, and there are walk-ons that get playing time and start at the best schools. Likewise, in the NFL, camp invitees make the team and some end up starting.

There are a couple of different groups of walk-ons and of athletes on the team in general. You've got the players offered scholarships out of the gate. These are the players that have the best measurables or the best overall film. Then, there are the preferred walk-ons that get everything the scholarship players do except for the scholarship. Since scholarships are capped at 85, every team needs walk-ons. The preferred walk-ons are pre-slotted to make the team; that's why they're "preferred". They often look really good but there's some doubt or other reason they didn't get the full scholarship. Then you have the regular walk-ons, who show up and practice and have to hit the other players and take the hits of the other players and take their labs and all their other courses without as much support as the scholarship players. If you make it through that, you're a gritty and tough player.

Fusile starting says worlds of positive things about him, above and beyond the other players on the team. He had to do more to get where he is. It's the same with William Lay. And it even happens at places like Alabama and Notre Dame where they're pulling in top 10 recruiting classes every year.

That the recruits and transfers that we've given a lot of attention haven't panned out says something about how we're evaluating who we give scholarships to, and that's a scouting problem and possibly a coaching problem. But that's about THOSE players and not about the walk-ons.

It makes no sense to complain about Fusile starting when he's done more right to get into the starting 5 than the people who didn't. Your complaint shouldn't be with him.

For years, I saw Falcons fans complain when a sixth-rounder or a UDFA starts. It's not their fault that they're better than the first-rounder they're starting ahead of--it speaks to their credit.

If you have a gripe with the offensive line, what makes more sense is to look at it and see who is making the wrong block, who is getting a low grade, and where that comes from coaching or from a player not learning.
 

leatherneckjacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,069
Location
Atlanta, GA
The OL not performing well is not necessarily an indication that the unit lacks talent, but rather that the unit is not playing well together, and botching assignments. My firm opinion is that the way CGC was running practices had a lot to do with our issues, as well as constantly going to the portal well to try and quick fix the development cycle. There's talent on the OL, and Fusile is one of those talents.

If a font has an issue with a walk-on playing, that says more about the font than the player in question.
One of our best lineman over the past two decades was a walkon. The issue is not so much not wanting a walkon to play, but rather how poor the line play has been.
 
Top