Bob Davie has always spoken about how vital walk-ons are to New Mexico’s program.
On Tuesday the head coach awarded scholarships to redshirt juniors and former walk-ons John Russo and Michael Walsh, both of whom are Albuquerque natives.
“Walk-ons are so important to our program,” Davie said in a statement. “Both of these young men have done a great job on the field and in the classroom, and they are great representatives of our football program in everything they do. I’m proud to put both of these young men on scholarship.”
Russo, who switched from wide receiver to safety this past spring, is a special teams mainstay and has played in 16 games in his career. Russo came to UNM after playing high school football at Eldorado.
Walsh took a longer road to UNM. After beginning his collegiate career at Wayland Baptist University in Texas, Walsh decided to walk-on at UNM in 2013. He redshirted last season and now plays tight end.
Walsh, who played at La Cueva High School, is the second member of his family to earn a scholarship at UNM. His grandfather, James Johnson, played basketball at UNM from 1962-66.
Thomas Romero-Salas is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.
