There is little to no doubt that Cody Schrader (2022-23) is the best walk-on in Mizzou football history. He was one of the best stories in college football last year but with some of the new proposals via the settlement agreement from federal antitrust lawsuits levied against the NCAA this spring, we may not see any more Schraders.
The NCAA wants to downsize rosters, which currently allow up to 140 players to be on a team with 85 scholarships. So, if downsizing comes to fruition that means walk-ons will be done with.
It hasn't yet been decided but the court ruling is expected to come soon.
Think back to a couple of years ago when Schrader joined the team in the 2022 offseason. What if this pending ruling was in place then?
The world would never have seen Schrader go from leading Division II with 2,074 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns, in 2021 at Truman State to being on the Tigers.
Schrader working his way up from the eighth spot on the depth chart to being the starter in the season-opener versus Louisiana Tech wouldn't have happened. He wouldn't have had the opportunity to earn the scholarship he did by the time the team's Week 5 matchup against Florida happened.
Not only would that not have happened to Schrader and impacted his life the way it did by letting him play on a national stage for an SEC team in his home state, it wouldn't have given Mizzou what it needed either.
The same offseason Schrader arrived was the same one Mizzou lost Tyler Badie to the NFL after he broke the Mizzou single-season rushing record and was an All-American.
Schrader wasn't close to doing that his first season but he still started in 11 of the 13 games he played in while pacing the team in rushing yards with 745 and tying wide receiver Luther Burden III for the team lead in total touchdowns with nine.
Missouri wouldn't have propelled to the heights it got to in 2023 in all likelihood if Schrader wasn't in the backfield. Not only did he become the unquestioned starter and a star on the team but he had a historic campaign that saw him become an All-American, win the Burlsworth Trophy awarded to the best former walk-on and break Badie's single-season rushing record with 1,627 yards and 14 touchdowns.
That could've never happened if the rosters were downsized back then, and if walk-ons are done, it may be something we never see again.
Punter Luke Bauer, who is still on the roster, is a walk-on and is credited with not only one of the best plays of 2023 for the Tigers, but one of the best plays in school history when he connected with Marquis "Speedy" Johnson on a fake punt for a 42-yard touchdown against Kentucky.
In addition to the fake punt, he punted in a career-high eight games last season, averaging 42.1 yards per punt.
A walk-on in name may seem unimportant to many outside the program, but sometimes these players can help take a program to the next level if given an opportunity as seen with Schrader and Bauer.
“The roster limit conversations (are) so difficult to comprehend and process because of the importance of walk-ons to universities,” Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said at SEC Media Days. “To me a walk-on is the exact replica of the American dream, somebody who believes in themselves, bets on themselves, is willing to put in the hard work in hope of a reward, and when you earn it, you earn it.
“That's the story of Cody Schrader, Luke Bauer, Chris Kreh and Logan Muckey. All guys that have worked really hard to earn opportunities. So, hopefully in this new settlement era, and whatever we figure out, there'll still be a place for the American dream to occur within a football program.”
There is a small silver lining, though. A potential positive of downsizing would mean that the scholarship count could increase.
However, the SEC hasn’t agreed on a set number to satisfy everyone. Drinkwitz said the teams in the league have been “very stern within the SEC that 110 is a number” they feel good about.
“There was a lot of discussion down in Destin (Florida at league meetings) about it. But now it's really in the hands of, I believe, the conference commissioners and the lawyers,” Drinkwitz said. “So I think it's something that has to be accepted by every Power Four conference commissioner. So there are discussions that are much higher level than me on that.”
Mizzou defensive tackle Kristian Williams believes walk-ons are important and are just as athletic as scholarship players, mentioning how many things they have to account for in addition to their football responsibilities.
“Walk-ons mean a lot. Once they get inside the organization, you see them day in and day out. You won't even see them as a walk-on and that's the biggest thing for me," Williams said. "At the end of the day, they're athletes as well. They're athletic, they're smart. They can jump as high as you or run as fast as you. So, I don't really see the walk-on type of title.
“There are many things you can look at them for, whether it's time management, learning how to be able to juggle a lot of things at one time or the work ethic. It's a lot of things you could pick up from them and a lot of things they can pick up from you.”
When Williams was asked about a walk-on on the defensive side of the ball who stood out to him he said senior defensive back Tommy Martin, who also cuts hair including his teammates.
“He was my locker neighbor as well. I’ve seen him go through it day in and day out,” Williams said. “I've seen him have to go up and leave and go to this class. I've seen him have to do so many different things. And that motivated me to do a lot of stuff as well and I'm just very appreciative that I got to experience life with him and experience his journey as well. So at the end of the day, it's a brother.”
Luther Burden III echoed similar sentiments to Drinkwitz and WIlliams that walk-ons are important to their program. After all, walk-ons help a lot behind the scenes and are an integral part of practice.
"I feel like every walk-on we got at Mizzou works their tail off every day and they don't take nothing for granted," Burden said. "They try their hardest to compete and get a spot on the field.
"I can't speak for every other team but they're definitely a huge reason why we had a lot of success last year. Even if they're out there on the practice squad they got to give us the great looks so we can get very prepared for the game. So, shout out to those guys."
Currently, Mizzou has 118 players on the roster with 83 having scholarships. If rosters are downsized, the Schraders, Bauers and Martins of the world could be phased out of the game.
It's not something Mizzou wants but it may be a reality it may have to get used to in the next couple of seasons.
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