Normally a walk-on would merit nary a mention on this site, especially one who does nothing more than bend over and snap an oblong object a long way between his legs.
Not all walk-ons, however, have a father with a multiple Super Bowl rings littering his fingers.
At the Big East’s media days Tuesday, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano announced that Stephen Belichick has joined the football team as a walk-on long snapper. And, yes, Stephen is the son of Bill Belichick, the three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach of the New England Patriots.
Stephen Belichick had spent the past four years playing lacrosse at the school, but went to Schiano earlier this offseason expressing an interest once again in joining the football program. Schiano indicated that the younger Belichick’s decision may have stemmed in part from his desire to be a football coach in the future.
“He always wanted to play football,” Schiano said according to the Newark Star-Ledger. “Truth be told, when he was first starting (at Rutgers) he talked to me about trying to play football. We said ‘Hey, look, you’re here to play lacrosse. Get comfortable there.’ For whatever reason it didn’t work out and he came to me and said ‘I’d like to do it this year.’
“Whether he wins the job or not, I think Stephen has some aspirations for coaching and I think he wants to get re-acclimated to football. It will be fun to have him around. Whether he’s the guy or not will be determined.”
As for the elder Belichick, Schiano said he’s only spoken the coach “briefly” about his son’s decision to switch sports.