Hi, guys. So, this might be the wrong place to put this question, but I want to know if I can realistically get on the Yale football team. Note: I’m not a recruited athlete, and this would be my first time playing football. (I know that would count a lot against me, but I’ll dedicate time to learn.). I’m on the shorter side at 5’8", but there are a few players on the team right now with that height, and my weight is about 220. I’ll be training in lifting over the summer to increase strength and lose fat. Is getting on the team a realistic goal, not to say a sure thing? It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and I don’t expect to be a star player by any means. I’m willing to put in a lot of work to do it. The only thing is height and previous experience go against me. Thanks!
Never say never, but unlikely to the point of my checking the calendar to see which day in April this was posted on. Are you an international whose country doesn’t play American football but you’ve been a sports standout at rugby or other sport? Why the sudden interest in football?
No, it’s not a realistic goal, as you lack experience. And even if by some miracle you tried out for the team and made the cut, the football coach has made a commitment to his recruited athletes and is going to play those players first. The best you could hope for would be 3rd or 4th string.
True story: A kid from my son’s high school was a great baseball player. He spent 4 years on his Varsity high school team, and spent the summers in a very competitive travel baseball league. He tried to get recruited by HYP, but none would make a firm commitment to him as an athlete. He ended up going to Harvard, tried out for the baseball team and made the cut. However, as the coach had made a commitment to his recruited athletes, and didn’t want them to be unhappy and leave for other teams, he had to play his recruited athletes first. The kid spent two years on the team, basically sitting on the bench and playing in the 9th inning of games when the team was up by a ton of runs. He ended up quitting the team and playing in Harvard’s Club Baseball team as a first string player and was much happier.
There may be some other sports at Yale where walking on is more feasible.
Rugby is a club sport. IMs are very involved as well. To walk onto Yale Football … RFF: you’re a bright guy – think about the nos. and types of ppl dying to get an offer from an Ivy league FB team. There’s no substitute for experience.
Thanks, all! I had a feeling it would be unrealistic because they already recruit a lot of great athletes. @IxnayBob I am an American, but I’ve never been into sports a lot. A variety of personal factors got me interested, so I figured it was worth asking about.
@RicFlairFan I agree that the odds are probably not that great, but I don’t see the harm in contacting the coach to see what he has to say, especially if you’ve already been admitted . . . the bar for walk-ons that are already admitted can be lower than for recruited athletes.
@RicFlairFan , is there a particular position that you’d imagine yourself playing? What are the reasons that position appeals to you or that you think it would be suited to your nature and physique? You say that you haven’t been into sports much, but which sports other than football have ever interested you? How are you at running, swimming, skating, etc?
Even a delayed interest in sports is to be encouraged, and I don’t want my initial answer to be discouraging to you. I think you should find some way to feed this new interest even if you don’t get a spot on the Yale D1 football team.
Have you read this article on football recruiting in the Yale Daily News: http://features.yaledailynews.com/blog/2015/04/24/part-ii-the-summer/