Preferred walk-ons are recruited athletes who are not offered an athletic scholarship but are given the opportunity to join the team. In some cases, preferred walk-ons may be redshirted, meaning they do not compete in their first year and instead practice with the team. This allows them to develop their skills and improve their chances of earning a scholarship in the future. Redshirting a preferred walk-on is more common in sports like football and basketball where there is a lot of competition for playing time. It is less common in sports like baseball and track where there are fewer athletes competing for spots on the roster.