Since the House v. NCAA settlement, things look like they are about to change for the better for college athletes. One change that sources say is in the works is an increase in scholarships in several college sports.
Reports have already suggested that college baseball will be a full scholarship sport, with softball and football set to follow. Sources have said that football will increase the roster sizes from 85 to 105 starting from the 2025-26 season.
Despite positive talks between power conference commissioners, nothing has yet to be finalized until the approval of the House settlement terms. This is seen as an excellent move for college sports, with the potential for more full scholarships in women's sports and other opportunities.
It does leave a cloud hanging over the future of the walk-on. College sports fans have seen plenty of fairytale stories regarding college walk-ons, including the story of the late Brandon Burlsworth at Arkansas.
The story of the greatest walk-on in the BCS era
In 1994, offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth decided to be a walk-on at his home state school of Arkansas. Seen as not having the talent and size for the position, Burlsworth turned down scholarships from smaller universities to be a walk-on.
After working hard to become bigger, stronger, and more athletic, his hard work paid off. He received a scholarship before his sophomore season, but Burlsworth's more significant achievement was landing a starting role as an offensive right guard for Arkansas.
In his junior season, Burlsworth made the Second-Team All-SEC, and in his senior season, he was First-Team All-SEC and First-Team All-American. His drive and willingness to succeed made Burlsworth a legend at Arkansas and in college football. Without the chance of being a walk-on, this story may never have materialized.
The Burlsworth Trophy is a special part of college football
The story of Brandon Burlsworth will always live on, but there is a special day when the story is introduced to new fans and remembered by the old. The Burlsworth Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding FBS college football player who started their career as a walk-on.
First introduced in 2010, the Burlsworth Trophy has been awarded to players such as Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield, Georgia's Stetson Bennett, and most recently, Missouri's Cody Schrader. In 2019, the Burlsworth Trophy became a National College Football Awards Association member.
As fans, we all know the stories about walk-ons on our teams in football, baseball, or other sports. Those stories created are one of many reasons that make college sports wonderful and unique to anything else. To lose the potential of the college walk-on and the award of the Burlsworth Trophy to a college football player who has defied the doubters would be a sad loss.