Football: Utes Yank Offer to Judge's Walker
"It's messed up."
That was the response of Judge Memorial Catholic High School defensive back Lewis Walker this morning when I called to ask him how his recruitment was coming.
We reported last month that Walker, a member of Judge's second-place 3A football team, had scholarship offers on the table from the University of Utah and Colorado.
Well, the Utah offer has been yanked, Walker said, and the Colorado offer is tenuous, at best, considering the Buffaloes' coaches suddenly won't return his phone calls. He knows they've been in town, too, because he's read that seven of them visited Cottonwood linebacker Lynn Katoa two weeks ago.
"I'm doing fine [mentally]," Walker said. "But my eyes have been opened, that's for sure."
Walker says he called Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen a week or so ago to commit to the Utes, but got a totally different response.
"Coach Andersen said, 'Actually there is nothing here for you anymore,' " Walker said.
College coaches cannot comment on specific recruits, per NCAA rules, until they have signed, so we could not get a response from Andersen.
In fairness, however, it is not that uncommon for schools to withdraw scholarship offers. I'm in Las Vegas today to cover the National Finals Rodeo, and there's an article in the Las Vegas Review Journal about a local kid who committed to Hawaii months ago, only to
find out recently the offer was no longer valid.
It's a cruel business.
What Utah did to Walker is certainly not that egregious, but the Utes probably should have given him the heads up weeks ago, rather than wait for him to call them. He's a local kid, after all, and plays for a Utah pipeline school just blocks away from the U. campus.
"He didn't really give me any reasons," Walker said. "Obviously, I wasn't as important to them as I thought I was....I had to get on the internet and do some research. It looks like they were recruiting other [defensive backs], and when they got those guys, I was no longer needed."
I reported a while back that BYU has set deadlines for some of its recruits to commit, and then pulled the offers when the deadline passed. I'm not sure if the Utes do that or not; perhaps they gave Walker a deadline.
At any rate, the all-stater is trying to stay positive, saying he's "not too bummed" and that he guesses "maybe it was not meant to be."
Hawaii has expressed some interest, and he might be taking a trip there before Christmas. Nebraska's new coaching staff has also inquired about him lately.
"I'm qualified academically and I can play," he said. "I'll find a place to play, possibly at a Division II school if that's what it takes. It's messed up, but I'm not."
That was the response of Judge Memorial Catholic High School defensive back Lewis Walker this morning when I called to ask him how his recruitment was coming.
We reported last month that Walker, a member of Judge's second-place 3A football team, had scholarship offers on the table from the University of Utah and Colorado.
Well, the Utah offer has been yanked, Walker said, and the Colorado offer is tenuous, at best, considering the Buffaloes' coaches suddenly won't return his phone calls. He knows they've been in town, too, because he's read that seven of them visited Cottonwood linebacker Lynn Katoa two weeks ago.
"I'm doing fine [mentally]," Walker said. "But my eyes have been opened, that's for sure."
Walker says he called Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen a week or so ago to commit to the Utes, but got a totally different response.
"Coach Andersen said, 'Actually there is nothing here for you anymore,' " Walker said.
College coaches cannot comment on specific recruits, per NCAA rules, until they have signed, so we could not get a response from Andersen.
In fairness, however, it is not that uncommon for schools to withdraw scholarship offers. I'm in Las Vegas today to cover the National Finals Rodeo, and there's an article in the Las Vegas Review Journal about a local kid who committed to Hawaii months ago, only to
find out recently the offer was no longer valid.
It's a cruel business.
What Utah did to Walker is certainly not that egregious, but the Utes probably should have given him the heads up weeks ago, rather than wait for him to call them. He's a local kid, after all, and plays for a Utah pipeline school just blocks away from the U. campus.
"He didn't really give me any reasons," Walker said. "Obviously, I wasn't as important to them as I thought I was....I had to get on the internet and do some research. It looks like they were recruiting other [defensive backs], and when they got those guys, I was no longer needed."
I reported a while back that BYU has set deadlines for some of its recruits to commit, and then pulled the offers when the deadline passed. I'm not sure if the Utes do that or not; perhaps they gave Walker a deadline.
At any rate, the all-stater is trying to stay positive, saying he's "not too bummed" and that he guesses "maybe it was not meant to be."
Hawaii has expressed some interest, and he might be taking a trip there before Christmas. Nebraska's new coaching staff has also inquired about him lately.
"I'm qualified academically and I can play," he said. "I'll find a place to play, possibly at a Division II school if that's what it takes. It's messed up, but I'm not."
5 Comments:
Lewis,
I played football for Judge and graduated from the U. You're better than them. Go somewhere and make them regret it. I won't be renewing my season tickets based on how they've treated you. Bulldog born and bulldog bred, and when I die, I'll be a bulldog dead.
Thanks for the info.
I'd like to hear what the Utah coaches have to say about Lewis.
Im sure they gave him a deadline to committ by and he just waited to long.
Sheesh, looking at Utah you'd figured they'd take whomever they could. I can see now why Cottonwood HS coaches tell their kids to go out of state. They are better than the instate programs.
How did they great him, 25?!?!
Walker tried to string Utah along until he got a "better offer." Well, Utah wasn't going to be left holding and empty bag and offered someone else.
Nobody is to blame but Walker. Utah offered him months ago and he has remained VERY non-commital and has even said in recruiting articles that he was leaning towards other schools.
And, soutah, if you think these players are better than instate programs, why is Walker headed to a DIAA or DII school? LOL
The ONLY thing I wish the Utes would have done would have been to call him and tell him the offer was off the table rather than waiting for him to call... That would have been a better move politically.
Judge25: You obviously don't know what you're talking about. The U may end up regreting their decision, but THEY offered HIM a scholarship before the season began. HE strung them along, believing he would get a 'better offer'. HE had several months to decide and commit, but HE decided to wait. The fact they the U no longer has a scholarship for him is entirely HIS fault.
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