College football has seen rapid changes lately with the introduction of name, image and likeness (NIL) into the league, which allows players to be compensated through brand deals and other avenues. This, along with changes to the transfer portal, have radically changed the landscape of the league. Now there is talk of eliminating the walk-in system.
Players who do not receive scholarships have been able to attend college teams to try out and earn a spot on the teams. The vast majority of these players don’t end up making the team or spend their college careers buried in the depth chart, but there are plenty of examples of walk-on players who have risen through the ranks of college football and found their way to the NFL . With smaller roster limits and no chaperones, college teams will lose some of the fibers that make up the fabric of the sport.
According to Seth Emerson of The Athletic, these potential changes stem from the House v. court case. NCAA. It’s not about money, it’s about avoiding future lawsuits as amateurism in college sports continues to come to an end.
In light of possible changes to the walk-in system, I wanted to highlight some (not all) notable Pittsburgh Steelers, current and former, whose careers could have ended before they began if walk-ins were not allowed.
Alex Highsmith
Highsmith did not receive a single scholarship offer after high school and continued at UNC Charlotte. After signing him to a contract extension in 2023, he talked about the walking mentality that drives him. The Steelers selected him in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He is playing on a four-year, $68 million extension, made possible by his original release.
Calvin Austin III
Austin, another current Steeler on the roster, originally left Memphis. He worked his way from a rotational player to a core member of the team in his third season and had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons that eventually made him a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He cited his passing mentality in a recent interview when asked about the crowded WR room in Pittsburgh right now.
Anthony Brown
Brown is among the greatest former college players of all time. Off-the-field issues aside, he’s Hall of Fame worthy and has a good chance of eventually getting in with one of the best six-year stretches a wide receiver has ever had. He spent a year at North Carolina Tech High School and then continued on to Central Michigan, where he earned a scholarship a week later. He ended up as a sixth-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and quickly became one of the best players in the league.
James Harrison
Harrison had academic problems that prevented him from receiving a scholarship, so he ended up at Kent State University. Until very recently, he had the most sacks in franchise history for the Steelers. He had to claw and claw his way to stardom as he went from walk-on free agent to undrafted free agent after the 2002 NFL Draft. He was cut from NFL rosters four different times before finally staying. with the Steelers and being a key part of the 2008 Super Bowl victory. He was the Defensive Player of the Year that season. His career is on the verge of the Hall of Fame, and it all started as a step forward.
ike taylor
Taylor continued as a running back to Louisiana at Lafayette after playing intramural flag football. He was academically ineligible for two years before joining the team and subsequently earning a scholarship. He was one of the most underrated cornerbacks of his era in the NFL, but he was a blocking cornerback on one of the best defenses in league history. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft and played 12 seasons for the Steelers. He has remained involved with the team, providing scouting services during draft season.
Kevin Greene
Kevin Greene, the only current Hall of Famer on this list, began his football career as an assistant at Auburn. He went from playing intramural football to being the leading sack artist of the 1984 college season in the SEC conference. He was only with the Steelers for three seasons, from 1993 to 1995, but helped lead the team to a Super Bowl appearance after a long championship game drought. He was originally selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round of the 1985 NFL Draft. He was immortalized in the Hall of Fame in 2016 before passing away in 2020 at just 58 years old.
Samuel Davis
He’s not the most well-known member of the 1970s Steelers teams, but Davis was a four-time Super Bowl-winning guard. His football journey began as a substitute player at Allen College in the Southwestern Intercollegiate Conference. He went undrafted in 1967, but got his first start in his rookie season. It was not until 1970 that he became a full-time starter, but he went on to start 114 games between 1967 and 1979. He blocked for players such as Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier and Terry Bradshaw.
Jeff Reed, Greg Warren, Daniel Sepúlveda
I grouped these three together because they are all specialist players. When compiling this list, I realized that the NFL could find itself in a difficult situation with kickers, punters, and long snappers if college football’s walk-on system is eliminated.
JJ Watt
Watt never played for the Steelers, but his two brothers (Derek, TJ) did. If JJ Watt hadn’t paved the way for the family, who knows if they would have had the same drive to propel them to the NFL. Watt technically received a scholarship offer to Central Michigan, but ended up going to Wisconsin, where he continued as a defensive end. He became a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and was one of the greatest defensive players of all time.
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