Transferring to Walk On

Just stay and run for fun. Running is not everything despite what it seems right now. Focus on school, get a degree in a field that you like and will find you a job. Still train and do park run 5k's for fun if it makes you happy.

I ran D1 4 years. I stayed on because I loved it, but also because it paid a significant amount of my tuition. It did take away from my studies and now, looking back, I wish I took school more seriously.

Thank you for the reply but I am not going to quit on my goal. My current college is not a great fit for me in many aspects such as my major, socially, and the climate is pretty awful. I just want to know if I would have a shot at walking on if i transferred?

You are too slow. Unless you run times that are top 15 in the conference, they won't want an unrecruited college kid.

You are fast enough to walk on to many of these schools, but you are picking some top tier schools. With a 4:20 1600 you could be fast enough to get some money from smaller tier D1 schools, and pretty much be guaranteed a roster spot on a mid major school. There are SEC and ACC schools you could run at as well. I would say that the PAC 12 would probably be the only conference where you wouldn't be able to find a school to run at. But even then I think you could at least walk on to UCLA.

No. Coaches don't like transfers. And this guy is barely running walkon times for HS juniors while being 2 years removed from that.

You could look at D2 and D3 schools if you want that experience of running for a team in college. It might be better to actually be able to contribute to a team and not struggle to make the travel squad. D1 isnt everything and some D2 and D3 schools might be more welcoming to a transfer.

I ran in the PAC-12. You could maybe walk on to Arizona and more likely Arizona state. But, thats about it. UCLA, Cal, and Wash State have much higher athletic standards and you would be hard pressed to transfer into UCLA or Cal without help from the track team. Try Arizona. You would be coached by Lagat!

Coach of high guys wrote:

No. Coaches don't like transfers. And this guy is barely running walkon times for HS juniors while being 2 years removed from that.

I don't know what you are talking about. 9:10 is good enough to walk on or recruited walk on for many power 5 schools (although not all)

Did you read that coaches are not responding? If you can't score as a male, you are of no value. If a HS junior, they would assume by the end of freshman year that he would be at 14:15. But he is nowhere near that. I have a friend who has run 14:07 and has 2 years left and P5 coaches are not interested.

dcloud45 wrote:

You could look at D2 and D3 schools if you want that experience of running for a team in college. It might be better to actually be able to contribute to a team and not struggle to make the travel squad. D1 isnt everything and some D2 and D3 schools might be more welcoming to a transfer.

This is a good plan... if you want to run in college, on a team, you would certainly be welcomed by many D3 schools (d2 may give you some money if you find one that matches what you are looking for). D3 would be great because like this person mentioned you could contribute and travel and not just show up to practice and try to hang on and end up running unattached at local meets.

D3 is the win if you are not stressed about getting scholarship money and still looking for a good school.

I feel like If i got into the school. I would have a shot Clemsons fastest guy ran a 14:55 in the 5k on the track. This season. I am pretty sure I am on par with their best runners easily. I am not looking to go to Stanford or NAU.

With Covid those schools could possibly not have any roster spots available. Schools aren’t loosing as many seniors so that is leaving the rosters full. I am a junior college coach and I would suggest going that route. It can give you 1 more year to develop, still continue your degree, and you can get into competitions to prove yourself. I would be very interested in talking with you. My email is: scampos@wtc.edu

+1

What are you trying to accomplish? If money is not and issue and you want a great education and plenty of opportunity to compete and improve, look at good D3 programs. Dhruvil Patel ran a 13:51 5K in 2019 for North Central. There are plenty of D3 men far faster than you and you will be able to grow as a runner with many outstanding coaches. You do need to be a strong student for many of these schools to accept you in transfer, but the coaches do have the ability to facilitate (guarantee) admission for academically qualified students.

It doesn't matter what random message board posters think. It matters what the coaches at the schools you want to run at think. And by not even answering your emails, YOU ALREADY HAVE YOUR ANSWER.

Accept reality and move on. Moving on may be changing your plans to lower tiered schools or running unattached. But you already leave your answer.

Don't for one second think that a coach "didn't have time to check emails." You can be sure if a fast kid emailed, he gets a reply.

Remember Clemson was cutting the team until ver recently? Bad example.

So If I got into the school and showed up next fall after grinding insanely hard over the summer and being in 24 minute 8k shape. Then you are telling me I would still have no shot. Even though I would be faster then pretty much the whole team and asking for no money.

College Coach here,

Your times are not at a point where a lot of Power 5s are going to roster you...

...for men, roster spots are hard to come by. With Title IX, schools can't keep men around and see who works out. If coaches are not replying, they are not interested. Even if you can beat a few guys on the current roster, a coach does not want to bring in new guys who can not produce at the conference level (especially for transfers).

Clemson almost had their program cut; they are probably looking to run a bare bones, minimum sized distance program and excel in the MD and other events as they have always done. By DI standards they are an average team (probably middle to upper third of many non P5 conferences); but by ACC standards they are terrible and get perfect scored by just about everyone but Miami and Pitt. If the goal is to run competitively why do it at a program that is really not invested in the distances?

Email other programs. You may get interest, but don't be too disappointed if P5 coaches do not write you back. Coaches get a ton of unsolicited emails from men; some write to say thanks but not thanks. But, I assure you, if they are interested they will let you know.

If you really want to run DI in the South East look at the Sun Belt, CUSA, SOCON, Big South or ASUN. If you can verify your times, there are programs in those conferences that may be interested. If things go well you could then look at ACC or SEC as a Grad Transfer (but that would be kind of a dick move for the coach who gave you a chance).

CollegeHopefull wrote:

So If I got into the school and showed up next fall after grinding insanely hard over the summer and being in 24 minute 8k shape. Then you are telling me I would still have no shot. Even though I would be faster then pretty much the whole team and asking for no money.

Sure, if that actually happened, almost every program in the country would give you a shot; but your times indicate sub 26 shape, possibly, not sub 24.

Alright well catch me working my ass off over the summer cause I'm not giving up.