Certainly not every preferred walk on is going to turn out like former Arkansas greats Brandon Burlsworth and current Razorback Grant Morgan did.
But it would be foolish to just dismiss the importance of non-scholarship players that have and will likely continue to help the Razorbacks down the line.
It’s a subject I broached with Arkansas head football coach Sam Pittman earlier this week during his Monday media briefing.
“I think the walk ons (program) has taken a new life to it because there’s academic money that we can help them with that we weren’t able to before,” Pittman said. “So I think we might be able to get a guy who has a 1-AA or Division II scholarship especially if they are instate or if they can have some kind of instate equivalency across the border.”
It’s no small amount either.
“I think we can be a little more selective with our walk ons right now because it’s not going to cost near the money, at least $3,000-6,000 a year less than it would cost normally,” Pittman said. “So we’re being a little more selective. We obviously want to go inside out. We’d love to get the kids from the state of Arkansas first.”
There are four players that have announced they will be preferred walk ons at Arkansas next season with the number likely to go up.
The latest to confirm his intentions is Siloam Springs quarterback Hunter Talley (6-2, 220), who will begin as a tight end prospect for the Razorbacks.
Talley threw for 2,221 yards and 17 scores and ran for another 1,162 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Panthers this past season.
Proving that being in summer camps are important, Talley worked at tight end this past summer after asking Pittman what would be his best route to being a Razorback. Current tight end Blake Kern played quarterback in high school.
Talley also has posted an impressive 34 on his ACT.
The other three are linebackers Mason Scheuck (6-3, 225) of Pulaski Academy and Ethan Joseph (6-1, 210) of Alpharetta (Ga.) King’s Ridge Christian and deep snapper Briggs McGee of Georgetown, Texas.
Joseph was committed to Air Force and had an offer from Army before flipping to Arkansas after taking an unofficial visit for the Razorbacks’ home win over Missouri on Nov. 26.
He rushed 142 times for 1,278 yards and 10 touchdowns, and had 17 catches for 183 yards and 3 touchdowns at running back this season as a senior.
Defensively, he recorded 91 tackles, 9 tackles for losses, 1 sack, 3 quarterback hurries, 2 pass deflections and 2 forced fumbles.
Joseph played his high school football for Terry Crowder, a Fort Smith native and 1989 graduate of Arkansas.
Scheuck had 75 tackles as a senior, including 34 for lost yardage for a team that won the Class 4A state title.
Former Greenwood star Jordan Hannah, who had 259 tackles and 22 career sacks, was one of at least eight players that Arkansas brought in as preferred walk ons in 2021.
Hannah, whose brother Morgan is also a Razorback, chose to walk on at Arkansas over offers to play at Southern Miss, Austin Peay, Pitt St and more.
Dewitt’s Logan Moss was also a 2021 preferred walk on in 2021, but grayshirted during the fall semester and will begin practicing with the Razorbacks in 2022.
The most successful preferred walk on in the 2021 class was former Florida State scholarship wide receiver Warren Thompson, who turned in a solid training camp and earned a scholarship before the season. He caught 18 passes for for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Nebraska prep punter Patrick Foley, a five-star prospect, was also in the 2021 class and will be expected to compete for that job next season.
Pittman believes in-state preferred walk ons play with a chip on their shoulder.
“I do,” Pittman said. “I think, walk on or scholarship, I think it certainly means a lot to the kids from the state of Arkansas. I think that’s a big reason.
“Well we owe it to the state, first of all, to start inside our state recruiting whether it be walk on or scholarship. But after that I think it means a lot because they’ve been born and raised Hog fans.”