Walking-On To A Program

In 2025, D1 volleyball programs (if they opted into revenue sharing) went from a head counter sport of 12 scholarship athletes, to an equivalency sport with a max of 18 scholarships.

Does that mean that all 300+ D1 programs will now have 18 full scholarships available? No.

Does it mean that half of the D1 programs will have 18 full scholarships? Probably not.

A surprisingly small amount of D1 programs will be fully funded with this method. Which is a change from previous years when an overwhelming majority of schools were fully funded at 12 scholarships.

All of that being said, it's still the case that 25% of any D1 roster is made up of walk-on athletes. At the D2 level it's a little harder to figure out "who" or "how many" athletes are walking on because they can divide up their scholarships to everyone on the roster if they have the resources to do that. All of this is important for several reasons.

The first thing to think about is that all of those athletes add value to the program in one way or another. I would imagine they add both physically, with their abilities, and mentally, with their leadership or other traits. I know of 0 (Zero) coaches that are putting together a roster with athletes they DON'T think will contribute. If you want to win and be a successful program, EVERYONE on the roster has to meet a really high demand of work on and off the court. Walking-on to a program is not a given for any athlete. Those athletes that are walking-on were recruited by the coaches over a certain period of time.

A program won't be successful running at 75%. Think about it. What if only 75% of a team took competition seriously? What if only 75% showed up for film sessions? What if only 75% showed up to the weight-room on time? What if only 75% took their nutrition seriously? What if a team decided to only practice 90minutes of a 2 hour practice? Athletes that are walking-on to a program have to be more committed to the team/program and their success than scholarship athletes in some ways. The school isn't paying for your room, food or tuition. Your desire to play and compete for that program must be really high.

A lot of athletes feel valued because of the scholarship they are getting and I think that makes sense in a lot of ways. But it isn't the only way coaches communicate the value that their athletes have. Some coaches are probably better at this part than others. But certainly if you're walking-on to a program you want to feel like you are wanted and pursued by the coaching staff during the recruiting process. They have to want you there. They do really want you there. That's why they are recruiting you.

There is this perception that walk-on athletes are somehow shunned or not included in some aspects of the volleyball program. If you're walking-on and you're better than an athlete that's on scholarship, you should be playing ahead of them. Coaches are trying to win. They are going to put the athletes on the court that they think give them the best chance of winning. Just saying. The only part where a walk-on might NOT be included is in travel. Some conferences have roster limitations on travel; only a couple that I know of. But it's a really good question to ask if you're talking with a coach about possibly walking-on.

Before you decide to walk-on to a program, make sure that you've had REALLY good communication with the whole coaching staff. Make sure they are the kinds of people you want you be around for 4 years (this is also good advice for scholarship athletes). Ask questions about "What walking on looks like" and ask if you could speak to one or two walk-ons that are currently on the roster to help get a sense of their experiences at that program.

Walking-on is a really good options for many athletes. It might not be something you want to do. Either way, regardless of where you play your college volleyball, remember that you ADD value to that program in any role.