04-06-2012, 06:58 PM
There was a time a few years ago, in the pre- and early-Harbaugh years, when a walk-on getting playing time almost surely indicated weakness at the position. I think at this point, a walk-on getting onto the field is probably a better indication of the coaches having found and developed a talent. That seems to me to be particularly the case with Oglubode, given his success at the HS level.Â
The whole thread also points out, as if we didn't need to be reminded, of the danger of predicting future success based on the "star" recruiting system. While it is always better to get highly rated players than lower rated players, some guys with high ratings just never meet the lofty expectations, while others slip through the cracks and then come up big when they have a chance. Though he wasn't a walk-on, Ben Gardner I think best exemplefies the later situation. A guy who nearly went unrecruited, Wisconsin had talked to him about being a preferred walk-on for them, when Harbaugh got him. Now he is arguably the best DE in the Pac-12.Â
The whole thread also points out, as if we didn't need to be reminded, of the danger of predicting future success based on the "star" recruiting system. While it is always better to get highly rated players than lower rated players, some guys with high ratings just never meet the lofty expectations, while others slip through the cracks and then come up big when they have a chance. Though he wasn't a walk-on, Ben Gardner I think best exemplefies the later situation. A guy who nearly went unrecruited, Wisconsin had talked to him about being a preferred walk-on for them, when Harbaugh got him. Now he is arguably the best DE in the Pac-12.Â