Breaking: 17 of the best walk-ons in college football history

Here are 17 of the most successful walk-ons from the BCS era (1998-2014) to present.

Some have won the Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded to the best college football player who began as a walk-on.

Here’s the TL/DR version:

Stetson Bennett — Georgia | Quarterback
Baker Mayfield — Texas Tech, Oklahoma | Quarterback
Luke Falk — Washington State | Quarterback
Matt McGloin — Penn State | Quarterback
Austin Davis — Southern Mississippi | Quarterback
Hunter Renfrow — Clemson | Wide receiver
Justin Hardy — East Carolina | Wide receiver
Jared Abbrederis — Wisconsin | Wide receiver
Sean Bedford — Georgia Tech | Center
J.J. Watt — Wisconsin | Defensive end
Clay Matthews — USC | Linebacker
Jim Leonhard — Wisconsin | Safety
Rodrigo Blankenship — Georgia | Kicker
Stephen Gostkowski — Memphis | Kicker
Kenny Willekes — Michigan State | Defensive end
Jimmy Morrissey — Pitt | Center
Grant Morgan — Arkansas | Linebacker