It’s always cool to see videos of walk-on college athletes receiving a surprise scholarship after putting in enough hard work to earn it. It’s even cooler when the coach finds a creative way to make the moment more memorable.
Duke’s Danny Doyle, a junior defensive end, recently received one of those surprise scholarships during a team meeting, but it wasn’t coach David Cutcliffe who broke the news. Instead, Cutcliffe had Doyle’s parents call him during the meeting and handed the phone to Danny, who was understandably confused.
When one of his parents told him that he’d earned himself a scholarship, Doyle’s teammates went absolutely nuts and swarmed him with congratulations. The result was a pretty awesome moment for the 20-year-old Doyle and his proud parents. It was also a pretty great gesture by Cutcliffe, whose creativity allowed the family to share that moment together.
As two year walk-on, Doyle has only been on the field for two career snaps, both coming in 2014. With that in mind, it’s likely that the coaching staff found his worth ethic in practice and leadership off the field were enough to warrant the honor. Judging by the reactions of his teammates, it appears they agreed with that decision.
