Walk-ons are college football’s dreamers.

Most, content to imagine some “Rudy”-like moment on an autumn afternoon, endure all the game’s thankless rigors while enjoying little of its glory. The more ambitious hope to shine brightly enough to earn scholarships. And a few — inspired by the long-shot stories of Antonio Brown, J.J. Watt, and others — envision themselves on NFL rosters.

While the motivations of walk-ons haven’t changed much since Amos Alonzo Stagg devised the concept of athletic scholarships in 1892, their prominence has.

Since 2010, the Burlsworth Trophy has been awarded to the top collegiate player who began as a walk-on, an honor that this year went to Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield.

“There’s no question that we’re hearing more about walk-ons than ever before,” said Dave Frank, vice-president of Athnet, a company that advises and tracks these athletes. “The Internet and social media help get these stories out there.”

For example, former Penn State walk-on defensive end Carl Nassib led the nation in sacks, won the Lombardi (best lineman) and Hendricks (best defensive end) Awards and was a Burlsworth Trophy finalist. And at Temple, Will Hayes became the starting strong safety and a respected leader for the bowl-bound Owls after walking on to the team.

“Starting out as a walk-on definitely was a tough challenge,” said Hayes, who attracted no interest from Division I or II schools. “But I would recommend it to anyone. If you’re really convinced you’re as good as you think you are, you shouldn’t settle for something less.”

No one knows precisely how many walk-ons there are at the 128 FBS schools, where scholarships are capped at 85 but rosters frequently top 100. But by any estimate the number is well over 1,000.

“They’re always going to be needed because they give coaches plenty of bodies to practice with, plenty of scout-team players to simulate other team’s offense, defense, and sets,” said Rick Allen, a former college-athletics compliance officer who operates a consulting business that counsels potential walk-ons and their parents.

Players like Hayes and Nassib, who eventually get scholarships, are the exceptions. Though the NCAA compiles no specific data on walk-ons, experts believe the vast majority quit after a short time.

“That happens all the time when these guys realize they’re never going to get off the practice squad,” Frank said, “or that they’re going to have to do this for two or three years just to maybe get into a game their senior year.”

Some walk-ons have the advantage of being “preferred” or “recruited” walk-ons in a two-tiered system. Those “preferred” or “recruited” usually arrive with guaranteed roster spots. Other hopefuls must try out in the spring.

“At one school, ‘preferred’ might mean you have a guaranteed spot for a year,” Allen said. “But at another it might mean that while you don’t have to go through an open tryout, there’s still no roster guarantee.

“Another distinction is that Division I walk-ons deemed to have been recruited who then want to transfer to another Division I school must sit out a year, just like scholarship players.”

Typically, walk-ons are entitled to the same medical, training, dining and equipment benefits as scholarship athletes. But occasionally, especially at smaller, non-FBS colleges, they are relegated to substandard locker-room annexes or denied access to the main training table.

“It still happens,” Allen said, “but not so much anymore at the Power Five conference schools.”

Most who walk on, said Allen, are smitten by the prospect of running onto a stadium field in uniform. Blinded by that goal, they often don’t investigate further.

“They and their parents don’t always do the research,” he said. “They need to know how they’ll be treated and whether the coach will be interested in them as individuals. What I hear from a lot of parents of walk-ons is, ‘Our son chose this place because it was his dream school.’”

And whether a walk-on ends his career satisfied or not probably depends on the scope of his dream.

“If you don’t have big dreams,” said Hayes, who hopes to play in the NFL, “why even try?”