Can You Play Sports In College Without Being Recruited?

While there is substantial attention on the recruiting process, not being a part of it doesn’t mean it’s the end of your athletic journey.

You can play sports without being recruited by walking onto a team at any college or university. Colleges hold walk-on tryouts every year to fill positions on their rosters still open after the recruiting process has ended.

Below are some additional details regarding playing sports in college without being actively recruited like how to become a walk-on as well as answers some questions regarding just how hard it is to become a walk-on.

How To Become A Walk-On

If you aren’t recruited to be a scholarship athlete, there are other ways to play sports at the collegiate level.

Preferred Vs. Regular: There are two different types of walk-ons. Those who are deemed preferred walk-ons, and others who aren’t considered preferred. If you are a preferred walk-on, you have been recruited by the school to play collegiate athletics, but unfortunately the college is unable to provide financial assistance. A regular walk-on may have some connections with the school, but by no means was he/she actively recruited.

Have Good Grades: Good grades is a focal point within the world of collegiate athletics. Just like high school coaches, college coaches want athletes who perform well academically. To give yourself the best chance at becoming a walk-on, make sure you keep your grades high. Coaches don’t want to take more risks than necessary when offering roster spots. If you keep your grades up and give coaches one less headache to have to worry about, you’ll improve your chances of making the team.

Communicate With The Coach: Communicating with or reaching out to a coach is always a great way to get on his/her radar. Be sure to let them know your interest in the program and that you are looking to try out. If a coach is right on the fence about offering you a roster spot, he/she may remember this interaction, and reward you for taking initiative. The point is, while a coach may not be actively recruiting you, or may have his/her class filled, reaching out never hurts.

** Tryout For The Team:** One of the most important things to remember is that most if not all college teams hold tryouts. Some teams will obviously be a lot more difficult to become a part of based on their division, conference, recent success, and so forth. With that being said, if you really want to play for a team, make sure you perform well during tryouts.

Give Your All: After coaches have filled their scholarship spots and notified others of their preferred walk-on status, the margin of error is very slim. Playing at the collegiate level is undoubtedly hard, but is only harder trying to do so from a walk-on standpoint. Be sure to give one hundred percent effort and focus during tryouts as coaches will need to see your very best to consider offering you a spot on their team.

While the recruiting process is sticky and drawn out, becoming a walk-on is pretty foolproof. If you have the athletic ability and go to the tryout, you may be rewarded with a spot on the team.

Is Walking On Easy?

Walking on at a college or university to play collegiate athletics is one of the hardest things you can do. While it may have seemed like quite a simple and stress-free process above, there is a lot more to it.

Risk Vs. Reward: Trying to become a walk-on athlete at a college or university is extremely risky, as the odds of actually making the team are fairly low. More specifically, you may have been actively recruited by smaller schools who wanted you to be a part of their program. If you decide to forego other opportunities and seek to become a walk-on at a larger, more competitive school, you are taking a great risk. Be sure to completely think through this decision because it could mean the end of your athletic career.

Getting Into The School: Colleges are becoming increasingly competitive to get into, making it more and more difficult for athletes trying to get a shot at the next level. To become a walk-on, you have to get into and enroll at a school. If you are trying to walk-on at the Division I level, it may be more difficult to be admitted than at a Division II or Division III school. And even if you are admitted, the odds of making the team are lower. Keep this in mind when deciding which schools to apply to if you are pursuing being a walk-on.

High Level Of Competition: One of the most challenging facets of becoming a walk-on is the level of competition faced during tryouts. If you are trying to obtain a roster spot at a college or university at the Division I level, the competition is stiff. You will likely be going up against others who received scholarship offers from Division II but decided to pursue Division I athletics. In addition, some athletes trying out may have received Division I offers elsewhere, but decided to try and become a walk-on at a different school. Whichever way you look at it, becoming a walk-on is an extremely difficult process.

No Guarantees: Another thing to keep in mind when becoming a walk-on is that there are no guarantees. Even if you are successful in making the team, you may never see the field/court. Walking-on at a school requires a lot of commitment and belief in yourself as an athlete. Specifically, if you walk-on as a football player at a school, you most likely won’t see the field until either your junior or senior season, and even that isn’t all that common. You’ll likely be placed on the scout team and have to work your way up from there which could be all of three plus seasons. Also, simply making the team doesn’t mean you’ll always be able to travel to games. Football teams don’t travel all their players often leaving walk-ons and underclassmen home for road games.

It Only Gets Harder: If you make the team as a walk-on, it may be easy to think that eventually you will get some playing time. While this may be true, it’s important to remember that the competition will never dwindle. Especially at Division I schools, coaches will bring in elite recruiting classes filled with some of the best players across the country each year. If some of these players happen to play the same position you do, coaches will often lean towards players who they recruited to play at that position.

Ultimately, it’s really difficult to earn a walk-on position, and even if you do make the team, you’ll face an uphill battle to earn playing time or even travel with the team. Don’t be discouraged though, you’ll never know what can happen until you try.

Things To Keep In Mind

Outwork Your Competition: Being a walk on is all about being more determined than the person beside you. By not being recruited to play a sport at the school you are attending, you’re at an inherent disadvantage. Make sure you give one hundred percent effort in any team-related activities at all times. Hard work and determination is the only way to push past your competition. It may be easy to think that your work is going unnoticed, but it’s not, so keep giving your all.

Keep Your Grades Up: Maintaining strong grades is an integral part of becoming a walk-on. Not only does maintaining a high GPA give you a leg up on your competition, but it also makes things a lot easier for the coaching staff who often look to walk-ons to help boost the team GPA.

Don’t Be Discouraged: Being a walk-on can at times be very frustrating. Be grateful for the opportunity to play your sport at the next level, and if you do get frustrated at your lack of playing time, you can always look to transfer to a different program.