WATCH: Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables Rewards Five Walk-Ons With Scholarships

Players who contributed on offense, defense and special teams were rewarded in a team ceremony on Monday.
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It’s been called the greatest feeling a college coach can have.

It’s undoubtedly one of the greatest feelings a walk-on football player can experience.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables on Monday revealed that he was putting five walk-ons on scholarship.

Kicker Zach Schmit, defensive back Pierce Hudgens, wide receiver Gavin Freeman, punter Josh Plaster and wide receiver Major Melson all were added to the Sooners’ official scholarship list.

Schmit, a third-year sophomore from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinness), took over as OU’s starting kicker last year in Venables’ first season as head coach.

Freeman, a true freshman from Oklahoma City (Heritage Hall) and son of former Sooner tight end Jason Freeman, scored a touchdown on his first collegiate touch and frequently impacted the Sooners offense, playing in all 13 games with three catches for 46 yards and six rushes for 62 yards. 

Plaster, a fourth-year junior from Flower Mound, TX, transferred in 2020 from Arizona State but hasn’t played in a game yet.

Hudgens, a third-year sophomore from Flower Mound, played in four games on special teams last season and has contributed to the scout team.

Melson, a third-year sophomore from Mansfield, TX, and son of former Sooner quarterback Chris Melson, hasn’t played in a game yet at OU but has been a regular contributor on the scout team.

The news is especially meaningful for the players and their families, who no longer have to pay tuition, room and board and fees.

But it’s also important to the large class of preferred walk-ons the Sooners just signed in the 2023 class, showing them their efforts and hard would could be rewarded soon.


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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.