By Bailey Biddle
Mason Russell, a walk-on at UTC, has leaned heavily on his faith in his decision to play football, even if the chances of him receiving a scholarship are slim.
The odds of receiving a NCAA sports scholarship are slim. Only two percent of high school athletes are awarded a sports scholarship each year at NCAA colleges and universities according to the NCAA. In high school football there are 1,057,382 athletes that participate, only 85 scholarships are given for each team.
The statistics show that the likelihood of receiving a scholarship are not great for a walk-on, but there have been athletes who have defied these odds. Baker Mayfield, quarterback for the Browns, was a walk-on at Texas Tech; he later went on to win the Heisman trophy and was picked first in the NFL Draft. J. J. Watt decided to forgo his starting position and walk-on at Wisconsin. He became one of the best defensive players in the NFL.
One thing these two players have in common is a hard work ethic. UTC defensive tackle Mason Russell looks to model this in his own life as well. Russell started playing football when he was in kindergarten and knew how to tackle before he could walk.
He said, “I always loved the game and had a knack for it, and when I put the pads on for the first time, I fell in love.” Russell started playing football for Fellowship Christian School in Roswell, Georgia. He strived to be the best version of himself he could be and that motivation led him to devote his time and energy in the weight room.
“I take football as a spiritual aspect and I know God gave me a gift and I know God has a divine plan for me,” Russell said. He received interest from small colleges, but nothing worked out, he continued to have faith something would happen. Russell, a zero star, had many offers from Division-III schools, but the big offers were preferred walk-ons.
Through much prayer and consideration, he decided to accept this position from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Twenty-three people tried out for the team, but they only chose Mason Russell. Even though he made the team, he was unable to play last year.
He could only practice with the team, but he did not let it discourage him.
He used this as his motivation, even though most experts believe the majority of walk-ons quit because they do not want to be on the practice squad. Russell still puts in the effort when no one is watching and wants to work as hard as he can for that scholarship. “If I didn’t get a scholarship, it would be absolutely 100 percent worth it,” he said. “I love the ability to learn and grow, and it will help my work ethic in the future.”
This is the mentality that every walk-on on every NCAA roster needs to have in order to outwork their teammates. Even though being a walk-on is not an ideal situation for an athlete who has aspirations to not only start, but one day go play professional football, everyone has to start somewhere. It is better to have this mindset at this stage, so the peak of his career will be even more rewarding.
Mason Russell is one of many stories of walk-on athletes that love the game of football and have devoted their whole lives to the game. The journey is hard, but the satisfaction of being in that small percentage who receive a NCAA scholarship is worth all the hard work and sacrifice. Sometimes the situation is not what some walk-ons prefer, but they have the ability to grow as a person and an athlete.
Each walk-on athletes experience allows them to appreciate and reflect on their football career.