I agree if we didn't hear the conversation ourselves then there is no way to know, but that is true with any conversation about anything so splitting hairs that way is a cop out. But we can say that if they are being promised the opportunity, but then coaches don't actually provide the opportunity, then it is a problem.

It is easy to justify once the kid is locked up, and a walk on is every bit as much locked up as a scholarship player when it comes to transferring, to not give it out because someone else becomes available that you want and need a scholarship for and a coach can say to themselves "we'll get him one next year". But then maybe the kid gets injured so then they don't give him one because he "didn't earn it" and yes I personally know a kid that this happened to. He was promised one for the next year, got injured, so they told him he had to prove he was recovered from the injury and had to play another year first, then got injured again and got the same thing again.

I just know to much to in good conscience ever encourage a kid to turn down a scholarship elsewhere to take a PWO.