Clay Raterman and Nick Seme know what it’s like to be a walk-on at one of the top college football programs in the country, and now they want to educate other potential walk-ons on what that experience is like.
That’s what motivated Raterman and Seme, who were both walk-ons at Ohio State for the 2017 season, to begin making YouTube videos about their experiences as a walk-on. Between each of their individual YouTube channels, they have posted a multitude of videos – some together, some separately – in which they reminisce on their time playing college football and provide tips on how to make a team and how to be a successful walk-on.
Over the past two years, since he posted his first video on the process of becoming a walk-on (which now has over 22,000 views on YouTube), Raterman says he has received hundreds of messages from walk-ons around the country either asking him for advice or thanking him for helping them make teams.
Knowing how difficult it was to find information about the walk-on process before he joined the team in the winter of 2017, Raterman’s goal is to make that process easier for others who also have the goal of walking on to teams.
“When I was going through the walk-on process, there was no information anywhere. I found one post on Reddit about someone who went to a walk-on tryout, and that was the only thing I saw ever in regards to walking on anywhere,” Raterman said. “I feel like there’s a lot of people who think about walking on or they have the dreams of playing at their dream school or a bigger school, and they just have no idea what the process is like, which was me and Nick’s situation almost exactly.”
While Seme just recently launched his own YouTube channel, he has teamed up with Raterman for many videos on his channel, including videos on what fall camp is like, what drills players should practice for football tryouts and what a day in the life of a college football player is like, among others.
Occasionally, Raterman and Seme also take a more humorous approach to their videos – such as a recent video that made light of some of the common stereotypes about walk-ons – but they say that’s all in good fun, and not an actual representation of what life as a walk-on is like at Ohio State.
“At Ohio State, I truly felt like I got the best experience I could possibly get,” Seme said. “I feel like I was put in the best position both occupationally, athletically, even just the shape that I was in. Just everything. It was the most well-rounded experience that I truly think that you could get.”
Although some walk-ons are recruited out of high school as a preferred walk-on, that wasn’t the case for either Raterman or Seme. Raterman showcased his athleticism in 2016 when he participated in the Fastest Student contest at the Ohio State spring game and made his first of multiple appearances on the TV show American Ninja Warrior, while Seme had previously played football at Ashland University. Both of them, though, had to prove themselves at a tryout just to land a roster spot with the Buckeyes.
In their videos, Raterman and Seme detail what potential walk-ons need to do to have a chance to make a team, from performing well in the 40-yard dash and the shuttle at tryouts to having a good GPA and knowing the right people to contact. Other videos discuss what walk-ons need to do to stick around and succeed once they’re on the roster, which Seme said boils down to two words: “Provide value.”
“You need to be a great person, a great teammate, be coachable, those intangible things that require zero talent,” Seme said. “You truly have to treat every single day like it’s an interview, because your time on the team is not guaranteed. There’s instances that we had (at Ohio State) where individuals made the team, they made poor choices that led to poor outcomes and they weren’t on the team anymore. So of course we want to give people the steps to make the team, but we also want them to be successful, and we define different levels of success.”
Both Raterman and Seme played for the Buckeyes for just one season before graduating from Ohio State, and neither one of them earned regular playing time; Seme played 12 snaps as a defensive end while Raterman, a safety, played one snap on senior day. Yet both Raterman and Seme look back on their time as Buckeyes with fond memories and believe that experience helped prepare them for success in the next phase of their lives.
“If I were to boil it down into one specific thing – beyond the work ethic that you learn, beyond the experiences that you have, beyond the teammates, the bonds and all that – it’s truly being in an elite environment,” Raterman said. “Being at that elite level shows you so much about life because when you’re all working toward that one mission and you are all dedicated to a certain level and you’re bringing that certain level of energy every day, it’s just a totally different experience and a totally different level of achievement that you can reach from if you’re not around those kind of people and your environment’s not quite as good.”
Clay Raterman said the “elite environment” he was a part of as a Buckeye helped prepare to get the best out of himself in his life after Ohio State.
While their YouTube channels are a way for them to build their personal brands, neither Raterman nor Seme are expecting to profit from making videos. Raterman, who now lives in Austin, Texas, is the co-founder of two startups: 0 Percent, which provides financial consulting services, and Pouch, which provides software for creating nutrition plans. Seme, who briefly pursued an NFL career as a long snapper, is currently enrolled in the University of Dayton’s physical therapy program, with the goal of working as a physical therapist for a college or professional sports team.
For Seme and Raterman, the primary objectives behind their videos are to educate and inform while having a little fun in the process.
“It’s really trying to give back because we are so grateful for our experience at Ohio State,” Seme said. “This would not be possible without someone giving us a chance.”
“At Ohio State, I truly felt like I got the best experience I could possibly get.” – Nick Seme on his time as an Ohio State walk-on
That said, Raterman and Seme are pleased by the NCAA’s recent decision to allow student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, which could soon allow college athletes like they once were to make money off YouTube videos like they’re making now.
“They 100 million percent need to be doing it,” Raterman said regarding the NCAA’s decision to allow name, image and likeness benefits. “I’ve connected with a few people in the space who are on YouTube who they’re playing at a Division III school or they’re a walk-on at a D-I school and they have hundreds of thousands of subscribers now. Because people are super interested in what the lifestyle is like and really what the inside scoop on it is.
“So I would highly encourage people to, even if they’re not posting YouTube videos every day, at least be aware of what your brand is and be aware of how you present yourself to the world and what you want to stand for and represent, because it’s so important nowadays.”
