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Gators EDGE Charles Emanuel III earns Mayfield Foundation Walk On Scholarship

On3 imageby: Keith Niebuhr10/16/25On3Keith
Florida helmet
Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; A Florida Gators helmet sits on the field before a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Florida Gators redshirt freshman EDGE Charles Emanuel III, a walk-on since joining the program, has been named the recipient of this year’s Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation Walk On Scholarship, UF announced Thursday. The scholarship awards walk-on student-athletes $10,000.

Emanuel, who played at Lake Nona High (Fla.) near Orlando, joined the Gators as a walk-on in the summer of 2024. He did not play last season and was redshirted. He has not yet recorded any statistics this year.

Charles Emanuel III is one of the first to receive this scholarship

Emanuel is the second recipient of the award. Baker Mayfield, currently the starting QB for the Tampa Bay Bucs, was himself a walk-on at one time in college at Texas Tech. He later transferred to Oklahoma and became the first-ever former walk-on player to win the Heisman Trophy in 2017.  He went No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. 

Per a UF release, “This year marks the inaugural year of the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation’s scholarship program, created to help alleviate some of the financial pressures that walk-on athletes face as they pursue their athletic and academic goals. The first recipient of the scholarship was Jakeb Snyder of the University of Oklahoma.”

In his application, Emanuel noted the following: “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.

I know the path to becoming a collegiate football player is different for everyone, and, like it did in my career, can often take unexpected turns,” stated Baker. “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.”

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