Gators’ Charles Emanuel III Earns Walk-On Scholarship
Florida football redshirt freshman edge Charles Emanuel III is the second recipient of the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation Walk-On Scholarship this year.
The Orlando native joined Florida football as a walk-on in summer 2024 following a standout career at Lake Nona High School, where he capped his senior season by competing in the Elite 100 Prospect All-Star Game.
The scholarship provides honorees with $10,000 to help ease the financial challenges of being a walk-on, allowing athletes to focus fully on their development and goals. To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must receive $5,000 or less in athletic aid, meet the university’s academic eligibility standards, be a rostered athlete on a varsity team and hold U.S. citizenship or legal residency. The award is renewable for up to three years, provided the recipient remains enrolled at the same university and maintains eligibility.
Emanuel follows University of Oklahoma’s Jakeb Snyder, who was the inaugural recipient. Florida announced the news Thursday on its social media channels, sharing the moment Emanuel learned of his scholarship.
Mayfield, quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, began his career as the first historic walk-on to start a game at quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and later the first walk-on to win the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma. Entering his professional career in the NFL, he set the rookie quarterback record for passing touchdowns with the Browns, later leading them to their first playoff appearance since 2002 in 2020.
After signing with the Buccaneers in 2023, Mayfield and his wife Emily launched the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation. Its mission, as stated in the Buccaneers’ website, is to “provide programs, scholarships and philanthropic opportunities to help others tackle life’s challenges in order to BE the best version of themselves.”
Emanuel’s story mirrors the foundation’s mission of resilience and strength. Despite not recording any statistics yet this year, he distinguished himself through his application.
Per the Mayfield foundation’s release, Emanuel stated, “Resilience doesn’t just show up when things go wrong. Resilience is built in the moments when you choose not to give up. My experiences taught me that no matter how tough things get, no matter how unfair the circumstances may seem, I am responsible for my own success. I learned to silence the noise, block out the doubt, and focus on what I could control: my attitude and my effort.”
In the foundation’s website Baker stated, “Seeing Charles using his experiences to drive him to be better, both on and off the field, stood out the most to me, and we are so honored to be able to help him achieve his goals and dreams.”
During a team meeting, while sitting in the second row from the top, Emanuel received the news of his accomplishment from coach Billy Napier. His face lit in disbelief before the room around him erupted with excitement. Teammates clapped, shouted and reached their hands out to him, to congratulate him.
In response to his win, Emanuel picked up his phone smiling ear to ear and called his dad:
“We won it.”
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