How can you prepare to play college football and walk onto a college football team without high school experience?

Answer 1

I was a part-time {very little} HS player during the 1970's and did walk-on during the early 1980's, earning a scholarship at that major D-Ia program, one with much recent success including two National Championships and several Conference Championships

I can urge you to watch films, learns the skills for the position{s} you want to play. Notice that I did not say TRY to PLAY. You CAN play anything you set your mind to, realistically limited only by speed between 'skill' positions and line positions. DESIRE and ENDURANCE are what set apart a successful walk-on campaign and quitting in the early challenges come. The movie RUDY actually got it right, but also left the brutality and abuse your body will endure during the first month of try-outs & practices. During the ensuing months & years, you have to work harder, longer and more accurately than the scholarship players who have already proven their worth {or lack of} to the coaching staff. You will generally expect three reps by a 'scout squad' member for every one rep made by a scholarship player on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or Redshirt squads.

As a walk-on, you do not play in Saturday games. Your games are against the 1st & 2nd teams Tuesdays through Thursdays and during training camps. You do not dress on the sidelines or TV games, because those redshirts and all of the other scholarships which fill the sidelines. Find your positional niche on a team {deep-snap, punt & kick coverage, pount return} and you m,ay make a game squad. Do not get dejected, enjoy the challenge of beating someone who is supposed to be 'better' {faster, stronger, bigger} and know that they knew you beat them that play, that series, that day - they will remember and eventually respect you.

Technique on plays, agility, coverage sense and reads are vastly more important to succeed in the HS-level. Strength alone does not matter at college Division-Ia level.

Agility, motion and conditioning are far more important when under 18 and your bones and frame are still growing. Some muscle is good, 'overblown' mass resulting from high bench-to-body-weight ratios {>1.25x} are almost always a drag on movement, agility & endurance. Looks great on the models, impedes performance on field.

One of the greatest NFL-linebackers I have ever seen and a teammate of mine during college came during his freshman camp was not able to 'bench his body-weight' but he could 'lift' nearly 1.5x his weight with arms over 19" at biceps. He had little lifting technique as a freshman, benched Save over 450 as a senior {2x body weight}. I actually emphasize incline press and leg strength as better focus of importance given the close proximity to actual on-field motions while playing. As a linebacker, extending your arms and shedding blockers, 'inclining' at 1.1-1.25x body-weight is basically your motion on every down. Squatting at 1.5-1.75x body weight is more important than benching heavy - translates into power through the blocks and in tackling.

Opinions vary, so talk to strength and condition coaches at successful COLLEGES. HS coaches always know what is their immediate needs but do not always knwo what is best for a child's future.