Tag: preferred walk-on

Florida football lands commitment from legacy EDGE

Florida just landed a commitment from legacy defensive lineman Titus Bullard, the son of Thaddeus Bullard, better known as WWE’s Titus O’Neil.

Berkeley Prep (Tampa) defensive end [autotag]Titus Bullard[/autotag], the son of WWE ambassador and former Florida defensive lineman Thaddeus Bullard (better known as Titus O’Neil), has committed to the Gators.

Bullard committed to the Orange and Blue as a preferred walk-on in the 2024 class on Tuesday. He posted a graphic to social media to break the news.

“Thanks to my coaches, teammates and fam,” Bullard began the rhyme “Helped me become the person I am. All Glory to God, He is major. Thanks to him, I am now a Florida Gator.”

Bullard will play off the edge for the Gators. He’s listed at 6-foot-3-inches and 215 pounds. He recorded 69 total tackles (57 solo), 22 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a senior. He helped the Buccaneers to a Class 2M state title in Florida.

Bullard received offers from Group of Five programs, but he opted to follow in his father’s footsteps without a scholarship. His older brother, TJ, plays for the UCF Knights, so the brothers will be against each other in some capacity when Florida hosts UCF later on this year.

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Ducks receive commitment from Texas tight end Kade Caton

Oregon receives a commitment from preferred walk-on and tight end Kade Caton out of Texas.

The Oregon Ducks football recruiting efforts for the Class of 2024 received a jolt with a commitment from tight end Kade Caton of Manvel, Texas.

Caton will join the Ducks as a preferred walk-on, but he definitely has the size to make an impact for Oregon. He’s listed at 6 feet, 5 inches and 250 pounds as he enters his senior season on the high school level.

The Ducks will need tight end depth because Terrance Ferguson and Patrick Herbert are juniors this season.

Oregon, like many teams, is focusing on bigger athletes who can catch the ball downfield to play tight end. Georgia’s former tight end, Brock Bowers, is a prime example of this shift. Whether Caton fits that mold remains to be seen, but he certainly has the build for it.

Gators add former UConn quarterback as preferred walk-on

Florida found another quarterback to add to the roster before spring camp begins. Welcome to the Swamp, Micah Leon!

Florida is adding former Connecticut and NC State quarterback [autotag]Micah Leon[/autotag] to the roster as a preferred walk-on, according to All Gators’ Zach Goodall.

Leon most recently played for the Connecticut Huskies from 2019-2021 before entering the transfer portal for a second time. He started his college career at North Carolina State as a walk-on but transferred from there after redshirting in 2017 and riding the bench in 2018.

He never ended up getting much playing time at UConn despite coming in on scholarship. Leon made just one appearance for the Huskies in 2021, but he did complete 10 of his 13 pass attempts for 62 yards.

In high school, Leon spent time with American Heritage Del Ray Stallions during an FHSAA 3A state championship run. He transferred to Boca Raton High to serve as a captain for the Bobcats his senior year and finished the season with 1,085 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air while adding 555 yards and another 11 touchdowns on the ground.

This will be his final season of eligibility, which could give him a leg up on UF’s other walk-on quarterbacks, freshmen [autotag]Parker Leise[/autotag] (IMG Academy) and [autotag]Jordan Gile[/autotag] (Chattanooga Christian School). Leise is already on campus, and Gile is a commit.

Florida will have Wisconsin transfer [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag], former Ohio State quarterback [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] and redshirt freshman [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag] to handle the bulk of the snaps under center this year.

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Marshall EDGE commit flips to UF after picking up PWO offer

Florida added another preferred walk-on today, an in-state edge rusher that recently backed off a commitment to Marshall.

The Gators added another edge rusher to the 2023 recruiting class on Wednesday as Ponte Vedra’s [autotag]Layne Swafford[/autotag] committed to the program as a preferred walk-on.

He’s one of a few PWO additions [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has made over the past few weeks, including running back and son of Senator Marco Rubio, [autotag]Anthony Rubio[/autotag], and quarterbacks [autotag]Jordan Gile[/autotag] and [autotag]Parker Leise[/autotag].

Swafford, a three-star recruit, was previously committed to Marshall University, but he backed off that pledge after visiting Florida. Playing in the SEC was too good to pass up, and Swafford quickly completed the flip after just two days. He projects as a stand-up edge for the Gators, according to 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins.

During his senior year, Swafford recorded 53 total tackles (26 solo) and four sacks as the Sharks finished the season 5-5, according to MaxPreps. His best game of the year came against Florida State University High School on Sept. 2 when he made five solo tackles and nine overall, including a sack. His only multi-sack game of the year game against Bishop Kenny in October.

He checks in at 6-foot-3-inches tall and 245 pounds, so he’s got the right frame to compete in the SEC. Developing Swafford over the first few years of his collegiate career will be key to his success.

Swafford is ranked No. 143 among edge rushers in the class on the 247Sports composite and is No. 141 nationally on the On3 consensus.

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Oregon Ducks add preferred walk-on QB to roster for 2022 season

The Ducks made a roster move on Tuesday, adding a PWO quarterback to the depth chart and filling out the QB room.

 

The Oregon Ducks apparently made an addition to their current football roster ahead of the 2022 season, adding a preferred walk-on at the quarterback position.

Marcus Sanders, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound QB from Union City, CA, announced on social media that he would be receiving a PWO from the Ducks. Sanders is a 3-star prospect in the class of 2022, where 247Sports has him ranked as the No. 173 QB.

This move makes sense for the Ducks simply because it brings some depth to the roster at a relatively thin position. As far as scholarship QBs go, you have Bo Nix, Ty Thompson, and Jay Butterfield. During Oregon’s two spring practices thus far, redshirt freshman A.J. Abbott was also a part of the quarterback group, but the Ducks will now be adding a fifth member in Sanders.

We will see when the new PWO joins the Ducks, whether it be in the spring or the summer, and look forward to his arrival.

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Wisconsin flips an in-state preferred walk-on from Virginia, adds him to their class of 2021

The Wisconsin football program isn’t done adding players for next year quite yet as even though their class of 2021 seems to be complete

The Wisconsin football program isn’t done adding players for next year quite yet as even though their class of 2021 seems to be complete, there are some preferred walk-ons still walking in the door.

Today that continued as Wisconsin flipped Hartland, Wisconsin native PWO Owen Arnett from Virginia.

Arnett is unranked on Rivals.com and did not receive a Power Five offer, though staying home in Wisconsin proved to be enough after he previously accepted a PWO offer from Virginia.

Related:Ā A look at Wisconsin football’s ‘top targets’ in the class of 2022

He now will join the Badgers along with the program’s highest-ranked recruiting class of all time and look to help the team win their first Big Ten title since 2012.

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Texas lands commitment from three-star QB Cole Lourd

Hours after national signing day concluded, Texas added another piece to the 2021 class in three-star quarterback Cole Lourd.

Hours after national signing day concluded, the Longhorns added a piece to their 2021 recruiting class. Continue reading “Texas lands commitment from three-star QB Cole Lourd”

Tennessee places offensive lineman on scholarship

This in-state product spent his first two seasons in Knoxville as a walk-on.

Tennessee has awarded walk-on offensive lineman Dayne Davis a full scholarship.

Davis committed to Tennessee as a preferred walk-on in Feb. 2019. He has appeared in a limited number of games since arriving on campus.

The 6-foot-7, 315-pound sophomore is a native of Bluff City, Tennessee, and wears No. 66.

 

Davis spoke to Vols Wire after his commitment in 2019, with high praise for Tennessee’s coaching staff.

ā€œThis is the best staff I have talked to,ā€ Davis said. ā€œI was among the interest of several FCS schools, but by far Coach Pruitt, Coach Friend and Coach Stiff were the most welcoming coaches I had met and just absolutely made me feel at home.

ā€œI am also ecstatic about the strength staff. Coach Fitz and his staff are the best around. Lastly, it has simply always been mine and my familyā€™s dream for me to play at Tennessee.ā€

Fab Four: Selecting Tennessee football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

Tennessee football provides opportunity for Alabama quarterback to join Volsā€™ program

Tennessee football provides opportunity for Alabama quarterback to join Volsā€™ program.

Tennessee continues to add to its roster during the early signing period. The early signing period concludes Friday.

During the early signing period, Tennessee has offered a roster spot to 2021 quarterback Cade Golden.

Golden is a senior at Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama and has been offered an opportunity as a preferred walk-on with the Vols.

Golden is a product of the same high school that produced Alabama transfer and current Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.

He won the 7A state championship in both 2019 and 2020 with Thompson.

Golden has received offers from small programs such as Clarke and Sewanee, and also as a preferred walk-on opportunity with Florida State.

Tennessee has signed one quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class in 4-star dual-threat prospect Kaidon Salter. He signed during the early signing period.

Fab Four: Selecting Tennessee football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits