Movies displaying coaches granting scholarships to walk-on gamers have grow to be a pattern within the social media period. Nicely, Maryland took it to a brand new stage on Thursday evening, as coach Mike Locksley introduced on the Baltimore Ravens preseason sport vs. the Tennessee Titans that punters Anthony Pecorella and Colton Spangler at the moment are on full rides as members of the Terps program.
“That is our proper of pilgrimage, and yearly we come right here we give a scholarship out,” Locksley stated. “And so we have a man that has given us nice success all through the final three years — holder, punter — we wish to put Colton Spranger on scholarship this yr.”
Pecorella commented on his newfound standing as a scholarship athlete in a college launch.
“We have been working our asses off collectively the final 4 years,” Pecorella stated. “There is no yet one more deserving than both of us.”
This is a take a look at Locksley asserting the information in entrance of a reported 64,000 followers at M&T Financial institution Stadium.
The 2 have cut up the punting duties for the Terrapins since 2019. Spangler has 87 profession punts for a mean of 42.1 yards per boot. Pecorella has 74 profession punts for a mean of 42.0 yards throughout his three-year profession. The 2 are locked in a preseason battle for the highest spot on the depth chart heading into the primary sport of the season on Sept. 3 vs. Buffalo.
“We have been battling, and this competitors has solely made each of us higher,” Spangler stated. “From Day 1, we had been sharing reps and I knew each of us at all times needed to get forward of one another, however it simply introduced out a aggressive edge in each of us.”
Pecorella does not anticipate that the 2 being awarded scholarships will affect their battle.
“I feel it is nonetheless going to be the identical mindset, however it’ll be good to get that verify within the mail each month,” Pecorella stated.
At the moment of controversy and an ever-changing school athletics panorama, it is good to see that walk-ons getting scholarships continues to be an enormous deal.