Throughout college football history, some walk-ons have gone on to become NFL stars, first overall picks, Heisman Trophy winners and some of the greatest players of all time.
A proposed overhaul of college football rosters would reduce roster sizes from 120 to 105 players while keeping all players on scholarship, meaning the idea of walk-ons as we know them may become a thing of the past.
Here are three of the greatest walk-ons in Big 12 Conference history.
3. Adam Archuleta, LB, Arizona State: Archuleta enrolled as a walk-on at Arizona State and was a two-time All-Pac-10 selection and was named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2000. Archuleta was a first-round draft pick by the St. Louis Rams and played seven seasons as a safety in the NFL.
2. Baker Mayfield, QB, Texas Tech/Oklahoma: Mayfield is easily the best walk-on in college football history, but in this context, we’ll move him down one spot since his best year was at Oklahoma. Mayfield was the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year at Texas Tech in 2013 before transferring to Oklahoma, where he was a two-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, won the Heisman Trophy in 2017 and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
1. Jordy Nelson, WR, Kansas State: Nelson joined the Wildcats as a walk-on out of tiny Riley County High School in Riley, Kansas, and became one of the best players in Kansas State history. He went on to play in the NFL for over a decade, winning a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers and being named NFL All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl in 2014.
61st Greatest Kansas State Football Plays of All Time
Jordy Nelson returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown against Texas in 2007. pic.twitter.com/QJQF6Y4p7g
— Kansas State Fan (@Thekstatefan) June 30, 2024
