Question about walk-ons

[DJ Death]

ok, so there's this guy i play summer league with who used to be a goalie for franklin & marshall, but not anymore. he was a walk-on and this past season, he was cut from the team to make room for a D1 transfer. now my question is this: is this how all colleges deal with walk-ons? i didn't ask him how high he was on the depth chart, but say he was not at the bottom. say some guy recruited to play for franklin & marshall was at the bottom. to make room for the D1 transfer, will the coach cut the guy at the bottom of the depth chart or the walk-on, seeing as how by recruiting the other guy, the college is committed to him for 4 years? if he wasn't at the bottom of the depth chart and was cut, that wouldn't seem right. the way i see it, lacrosse is a meritocracy, but maybe others see it differently.

[ShockerAutc]

If a guy at the bottom of the depth chart signed a LOI, then he can't be cut for not preforming as well as expected.

[DJ Death]

yeah that's what i thought...sucks. thanks for answering.

[egrlax10]

well, first off the guy at the bottom couldnt have signed an loi because f&m is d3 and they dont do loi's. second, d3 schools dont make a 4 year commitment to most players. they tell players that they will have a spot guaranteed freshman year, and then their sophomore and junior years, they have to tryout for the team again. then their senior year, they usually get a guaranteed spot again if theve been on the team all 4 years. but it seems like most schools would get rid of the last player on the depth chart rather than a "walk on". especially since everyone in d3 is technically a walkon player because they dont get scholarship money.

[DJ Death]

hmm, yeah so maybe the guy was at the bottom of the depth chart. but if this were a D2 school, would what ShockerAutc said apply? i know it applies for D1.

[egrlax10]

i dont really know a ton about loi's, but i would assume what he said is right. i think if you sign an loi, that means that the team has committed to you for 4 years and cant cut you.

[ShockerAutc]

Yes, that is correct. Sorry, earlier I confused Franklin and Marshall for Franklin Pierce which is d2.

But d3 can commit to you for your freshman year??? I read on d3 Hendrix's website that they had a commit from Oregon and was confused since I thought d3 everyone tried out every year. That recruiting for d3 was more of a "you have a good chance to make our team" if you get accepted type of thing.

[egrlax10]

well it depends on the school. one of the schools ive talked to said that if i go there, i will have a guaranteed spot freshman year, whereas others have said that i will have to tryout, but i will have a good chance to make the team. but i think most schools in d3 dont cut seniors if its their 4th year on the team. and in d3, there are commitments, theyre just not binding like an loi. when you sign an loi, it means you have to go to that school, unless there is a coach firing or something else big happens. in d3, its just a verbal commitment, so you can tell a school that youre going to their school, and then go somewhere else, although i wouldnt recommend doing that.

[ShockerAutc]

You wouldn't happen to know if there is a list of schools which give you a guaranteed spot freshman yr? (Roanoke please)

[egrlax10]

i dont know, theres actually a kid that i know from my school going to roanoke next year. if i can get ahold of him, ill ask him, but i think i remember him saying that he had to tryout. just email the coach there and ask him.

[egrlax10]

i thought you could be released from your loi on a coaching change. for example, michigans mens basketball team fired tommy amaker after the season and then hired the coach from west virginia. because of this, they released one of their recruits, alex legion, who had already signed an loi, and now hes going to kentucky.

[truth]

You try out each year at Roanoke. Salisbury too.