BOISE STATE, Idaho — A Boise State player is speaking publicly about a system that could severely limit walk-on opportunities for thousands of college athletes following a landmark settlement by the NCAA. I'm your neighborhood reporter, Alexander Huddleston, and former BSU kicker and walk-on Jonah Dalmas tells me that a second chance is necessary for the world of college sports.
"At this time in college, it's super competitive. You get out what you put in," said former BSU kicker Jonah Dalmas.
Hard work and dedication. That has been to name of the game when it comes to prospective athletes looking to join college after high school.
For years, schools have been allowed to give out a certain number of scholarships to athletes, but to fill holes in the roster, students would be able to try out as a “walk-on”.
Those players then had an opportunity to make the final roster and contribute to the team even without the scholarship.
Dalmas explained, "When teams recruit people, I think you have to dial it in to who's going to be the person to make the most impact on your team."
Jonah Dalmas, the most recent kicker for the Broncos and the all-time leading scorer for the program, was a walk-on himself and played in seven games as a true freshman after making the preseason cut.
"They allowed me an opportunity to come in and showcase my skills and develop as a player. I see that the walk-on spot is super necessary," continued the kicker.
But now the NCAA is in a limbo after a new house settlement is being put on hold by one California judge. It's a deal that would pay out former student athletes around $2.8 billion for lost name, image, and likeness rights and would permit schools to begin paying athletes under a capped compensation system.
Under the settlement, teams would have a new player limit, and all athletes would be allowed on scholarship. Meaning thousands of student athletes without scholarship opportunities, wanting to prove themselves, may be pushed out.
Eagle High School football coach James Cluphf explained, "Boise State has made their living on walk-ons. Two recent draft picks in Leighton Vander Esch and Matt Paradis. Two NFL guys, one of them won a Super Bowl. They bet on themselves. They earned their stripes and got their scholarship money eventually, and things worked out. Obviously, that's never a guarantee."
Coach Cluphf has seen plenty of athletes go on to the next level during his time coaching.
"I'd say on average 20% of our kids have some sort of preferred walk-on piece to it," shrugged the coach.
But if the settlement does indeed move forward, mixed with the transfer portal, Coach Cluphf thinks we may see college sports turn into another form of the minor leagues.
Cluphf finished with, "If it keeps going this direction with how it is right now, I think you will start seeing these FCS schools on the fringe and essentially become a junior college and say 'I'm going to go play here for a couple years,' and then kids will jump up to the FBS level."
I reached out to Boise State, which declined to comment but said it will have a statement once the settlement is decided upon.
