Minnesota Football: Gopher’s Back-Up Kicker, Justin Juenemann Earns Scholarship

I think today is the day I realize that I’m 100% drinking the PJ Fleck Kool-Aid. For one, I’m a sucker for the videos of walk-ons who are awarded a scholarship. And secondly, this is an example where Fleck is showing that he’s preaching more than football and showing it by rewarding a kid for giving and serving.

WATCH...

First of all, I really do enjoy these videos. We often forget that these guys are kids, they work a lot at their craft and have responsibilities & demands of their time like none of us experienced in college. Justin Juenemann does it while paying for school, along with many other walk-ons. And the part where he’s telling his mother, that’s just awesome.

Secondly, it is really interesting that Fleck chose to give the recently opened scholarship to Jueneman. While one may cynically roll his/her eyes at this gesture, thinking it’s easy to give away a scholarship the day after you lose a scholarship player. But the point is that there are other walk-ons who may actually end up earning playing time and contribute to the team on the field. Juenemann is likely not to be one who contributes on any regular basis barring injuries.

This scholarship was given to the back-up kicker. The Gophers now have 3 kickers on scholarship, which is very rare. This was given to him because he’s a senior, he’s earned it by being a leader as a servant and giving back to the community.

Congrats Justin Juenemann.