Why Vanderbilt Receiver Richie Hoskins Is Campaigning to Keep Walk-on Mentality In College Football

Nashville–Vanderbilt receiver Richie Hoskins doesn’t want to run for college football’s highest-ranking roles–instead he wants to coach once he’s done playing–but he’s got one request. 

Keep walk-ons. 

Hoskins came to Vanderbilt at the start of the 2023 season as a walk-on and has since found a role as a high-level blocker as well as a secondary pass catching option. Players like Hoskins may cease to exist in a few years if the NCAA has their way, but he’s hoping for a different result. 

“It’s sad,” Hoskins said of the direction of the sport that includes moving on from walk-ons. “At the end of the day if walk-ons were to go away fully all that would matter to me is that everybody carries that grit and passion that a walk on carries.” 

Hoskins is majoring in economics at Vanderbilt and looks to bring the grit he speaks about to each day of grad school as well as the field. The Vanderbilt receiver says that when he’s done playing football he intends to go into finance, but that he doesn’t think he will make it two years before “scratching the itch” and starting a coaching career. 

On the surface, Hoskins checks all the boxes of a future successful college coach. He does the little things well. He’s articulate in front of the mic. He’s confident. He also built his career up from nothing and earned everything he’s gotten as a college football player. 

Nobody wanted Hoskins as a high schooler before he ultimately committed to Middlebury College and played his freshman year there. His sophomore year included him betting on himself and coming to Vanderbilt with no guarantee of playing time. Whatever his next step is, Hoskins wants to work with people like himself. 

“If I don’t go into coaching and if I end up owning my own business, I’m hiring walk-ons,” Hoskins said. “There’s [walk-ons] on the team who have contributed in big games and done really good stuff for us. Some of my best friends are walk-ons. Being a walk-on, having that mentality is everything.” 

If anyone on Vanderbilt’s roster has that mentality, it appears to be Hoskins. Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck says that Hoskins “will go until his legs fall off.” In a world that emphasises receiving numbers, Hoskins says he “loves to hear” when Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea speaks about blocking and wants his receiver room to be one of the best in the country. 

Hoskins will admit that he’s not the most talented player in his room, but he’s a lock to play significant snaps for the third season in a row. Why? 

“The walk-on mentality led me to any success I’ve ever had,” Hoskins said. “It’s my identity.” 

To this day, Hoskins still “loves” talking about his story and isn’t forgetting about it now that he’s a mainstay within Vanderbilt’s receiver rotation. Perhaps his mom and dad–who he shouted out during Tuesday’s press conference–deserve some credit, but Hoskins knows that where he’s at nowadays wouldn’t be possible without the opportunity he got to grind for everything he has. 

Players like Hoskins may start becoming extinct as a result of the NCAA vs. House settlement that’s set to cut college football roster limits from 120 to 105. He hopes that their mentality won’t even if they do, though. 

“If you want to get on the field,” Hoskins said, “You’ve gotta be the guy willing to take the most reps and take advantage of every opportunity you get. If you can’t go for very long, you’re not going to be able to get those opportunities when other people are tired.”