Today's featured player is a guy who walked on to the team two years ago, red-shirted his first year, then found himself playing in all 13 games last season and making quite the contribution.
Landon Feichter - So. (RS)
Hometown: Ft. Wayne, IN (Bishop Dwenger HS)
Safety
6' 178 pounds
2012 Projection: Starter at safety
Landon Feichter walked on from Bishop Dwenger as a guy who basically no one knew. Prior to last season, if you asked me who he was I wouldn't have any idea. I feel that there are 3 outcomes for walk-ons. One is where the player walks on and you never hear about the guy or know anything about him and they don't really amount to anything. The second is where an athlete walks on and is just a total goober who doesn't really do much, like former Ohio State basketball player Mark Titus. The third is the one that practically everyone wants; a guy walks on to the team as a no namer and becomes a starter.
Feichter is currently listed as playing behind Taylor Richards, but after last season I think that Feichter is more than qualified for the starting job. His determination and discipline gives him an edge over others in my opinion. Learning behind Logan Link and Albert Evans definitely helped Feichter in his success as well. Last season, Feichter recorded 25 total tackles and defended a pass. He made his first start against Notre Dame where he proved that he is more than capable of playing in the Big Ten. He is coming off a shoulder injury that forced him to sit out of the spring game, but it seems like it shouldn't be too big of a deal and he says he will be ready by August.
This is a great interview with Feichter that describes his hard work and the effort he gave to standing out among other players on the team. He has a great story and a good head on his shoulders. He is smart, and incredibly hard working.
Feichter is active on Twitter as well. Give him a follow: @LBF44