IOWA CITY, Iowa — What, exactly, is the walk-on mentality?
“It's just the idea that no matter the obstacle put in your way, it doesn't matter how low you start it's about where you finish,” senior Hawkeye safety Jack Koerner said.
That's a feeling Koerner and his teammates, Zach VanValkenberg and Tommy Kujawa, know well.
"Two of us being walk-ons, another guy having to start his career would have had to be a walk-on probably, he went to a Division-II school,” Koerner added.
Because of their time as walk-ons, they know the financial challenges that come with it: the same time commitment and sacrifice as scholarship athletes, but without the funded education or monthly stipend check.
But with the new name, image, likeness rules, there is a chance for athletes to make some money. And that opened these three Iowa Hawkeyes up to the idea of launching their own brand.
“We didn't really want to do something that was our name, image and likeness. We wanted to have it be a concept that nobody has really done before,” Koerner told Local 5.
On Aug. 3, the three seniors unveiled the concept “Walk-On Mentality”, selling apparel and looking for partnerships. The announcement was met with plenty of fanfare.
Koerner said, "We felt like maybe they're not just supporting us because we're Hawkeye guys, maybe they just really truly love this idea and the concept and that embodiment.”
They are not only looking to put a little money in their pockets. They want to give back.
"We want to do something different than what everyone else is doing. We want to try to give back and have a positive message and mission that we're all about,” Koerner said.
The trio is taking 50% of proceeds from apparel sales and partnerships and putting it into a scholarship fund for other walk-ons to help those like them who are going through the grind of that "walk-on life".
"That's something we feel really passionate about, and we can't be thankful enough for the opportunity," Koerner said. "And there's no telling how different our lives would be had we not made that decision, so we would never want to discourage anybody from not chasing that dream."
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