Ken Walker III: From 2 FBS offers to the transfer portal to leading CFB in rushing yards
Seaside Joe 1246: Walker's unbelievable journey continues, even as Michigan State suffers their first loss
I recorded a quick episode of the Seaside Joe podcast last night on why Drew Lock continues to feel like the real plan at QB1. Regular Joes can read my write-up on Lock’s case here and there will be more premium articles in the near future. Find us on a podcast app and subscribe there, I will do more quick episodes during the season.
Soon, I’m sure, will be podcasts and Regular Joes articles about Ken Walker III.
Sometimes a top-ranked team will lose and the headlines will focus on the quarterback. “C.J. Stroud, Ohio State falls to Michigan,” for example. “Grayson McCall leads Chants to win over Alabama,” that sorta thing. These headlines are not only reserved for team captains, the best NFL hopeful at a given program, and local legends, but for those who get the respect of being responsible for the wins. Blame for the losses.
You will rarely, if ever, see a left tackle named in a headline like that. Or a cornerback. Or a defensive tackle. Or a linebacker. Or even a wide receiver. But headlines, credit, blame, and even the Heisman trophy, do still sometimes point towards a team’s star running back.
This is now the 12th edition of the Ken on Ken series, a look through Ken Walker III’s entire collegiate career. From failing to rank inside the top-2,000 recruits in 2019 to starring in his Wake Forest debut to being the top transfer and leading Michigan State to a win over Michigan with a rivalry-record five touchdowns, Walker carved out a college resume with his own two feet that few other backs in history can relate to.
After defeating the previously-undefeated Michigan Wolverines the previous week, Michigan State was now 8-0 and ranked third in the country. A program that had gone 2-5 the previous year without Walker, the Spartans were getting a similar buzz from their superstar transfer that the Wisconsin Badgers once got from Russell Wilson.
Though the Badgers were already a great football team in 2010, the upgrade at quarterback going from Scott Tolzien (16 TD/6 INT) to Wilson (33 TD/4 INT) is what made Wisconsin a legitimate threat for the national title and Wilson a deserving Heisman candidate.
Back then, it was Wilson’s team that was ranked 4th in the country when Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins erased their bid to be champions.
After another close loss to Ohio State the week after, Wilson got back in his groove with a 62-17 defeat of Purdue. Wilson finished ninth in Heisman voting, including behind teammate running back Montee Ball.
10 years later, it would be Walker in position to lead his Big Ten team into an opportunity for a national championship. But Purdue was not nearly as cake last season as the team that Wilson faced.
Going against a Boilermakers team that had already upset a top-three team last year (no.2 Iowa), I’m sure that Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker did not underestimate quarterback Aidan O’Connell and receiver David Bell. But by the end of the game, the Spartans hadn’t overwhelmed them either.
Purdue took an early 21-7 lead and though Michigan State tied the game early in the second half, the Boilermakers dominated much of the final 25 minutes and won 40-29. They didn’t just end the Spartans’ title hopes, they beat the potential Heisman frontrunner. The headline player.
Even though in reality, Ken Walker III still had 136 yards on 22 carries and ended the week leading the nation in rushing yards, yards per game, and was top-five in touchdowns and all-purpose yards.
Walker finished sixth in Heisman voting, the highest of any running back in 2021, and he had the most points in the voting tally for any running back since Bryce Love in 2017.
Let me repeat a few Ken Walker facts:
Two FBS offers
Multiple firsts/records at Wake Forest even though he was in a committee and in a slow mesh offense
Overlooked transfer in 2021
Helped team go from 2-5 to being three weeks shy of making the CFP
Best running back in the country
Previously on Ken Walker III’s college career: Walker’s freshman season, Walker’s career-day vs NC State, Walker’s holy shit moments vs Virginia, how Walker got to Michigan State, will Walker be a third WR, Walker’s 4-TD debut for the Spartans, Walker blows through Miami like a tornado, there was no better college RB in 2021 than Ken Walker, Walker vs Rutgers, root against Walker at your own peril, Walker vs Michigan and Aidan Hutchinson
Walker didn’t become the first back since Derrick Henry to win the Heisman, and he didn’t beat Purdue last season, as Bell caught 11 passes for 217 yards despite being the least athletic receiver in the 2022 draft. But he got something even more special than some trophy or a national championship.
He got friendship.
Just kidding, he got 136 yards and a touchdown. Maybe also friendship, I can’t rule it out. It just didn’t show up on the film.
I can’t believe Seaside Joe exists. Every day I read these articles and I’m like “Damn! This exists for Seahawks fans! Nice! I hope they like it as much as I do.” So share Seaside Joe with friends if you feel similarly. We’re going to be number one at Substack some day. They’ll say, “Did you know a Seahawks newsletter is the top-ranked newsletter?” That’s cool.
#3 Michigan State v Purdue - November 6, 2021
It took less than :30 seconds for Walker to do something special in this game.
A fairly common play we’ve seen from Walker over the last three years: He cuts to the outside, then cuts again, then cuts even harder. I’ve been calling it “waterfalling” through the defense, but I’m sure football heads have some other term for it. “Being great” maybe? Notice that even when the play should be officially over, Walker still gains another 3-4 yards at the end.
Getting the first
Good with lots of space, good with barely any space. That’s Ken Walker.
Walker barrels through the defender and pushes forward an extra two yards to make a “third down stop” turn into a Michigan State first.
Fumble?
It’s remarkable that Walker sees THREE defenders FIVE YARDS BEHIND THE LOS and manages to turn it into a one-yard GAIN.
Yeah, plays like this could get Walker into trouble at times, but really what choice was it of his when there was no blocking to the play side whatsoever? Walker turns it back upfield for a one-yard gain but it was ruled a fumble and recovered by Purdue. I think the replay shows that Walker’s knee was down or it was a tie, but the ruling is not overturned.
Keeping his feet
I’ve heard of Walker, and I’ve heard of runner, but agile stumbler? Ken Walker finds a lane in the middle of the pile and even though he’s tripped up at the second level, Walker keep his feet for another 15 or so yards.
I remember seeing the movie Flightplan in theaters and one thing that I can tell you about Jodie Foster’s character is that she never gave up. I know because at the end of the movie when she’s leaving the plane one of the off-screen comments by a passenger (who seemingly should have had no idea that anything odd happened on the flight because that’s part of the plot of the movie) was, “She never gave up.”
Similar to Marshawn Lynch, Walker has a “never give up” mentality and the play is never over upon the first defender to hit, distract, embrace, or get a hand on him. Never. If you even break Walker’s “safe space bubble,” he’s liable to run another 11 yards.
Why do I have to keep telling people he can catch?
I’ve been making the point all offseason that even though Walker did not catch the ball a lot in college, it was never for lack of talent. I’ve seen all the plays: He can catch! He can pass block well enough. It’s all there. Just like Charles Cross and run blocking, Walker just needs the reps.
But still I will get comments on Twitter telling me, “Nah, but he didn’t though” when I give my explanation for why Walker will be utilized in the passing game. I mean, I could be wrong, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Here, Walker makes the catch behind the line of scrimmage, makes a defender miss, and runs for a first down. Why the Seahawks wouldn’t try to do something like that 25 times this season, I don’t know.
Touchdown
Walker’s 16th touchdown of the season. He finds the edge and gains 12 yards to give Michigan State a fighting chance on a critical fourth-and-2.
He never gave up
Fourth quarter, down 37-21 is not typically a time for a 33-yard rushing gain. But in Michigan State’s case, it is to be expected that Walker will give them a chance to comeback and win.
By the end of this game, Walker had his first loss at Michigan State, but also 197 carries for 1,330 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Over the two years he was at Wake, Walker only had 217 carries, but gained 1,158 yards and scored 17 times, an average of 5.3 YPC.
He just needed an opportunity to be a team’s star. When that happened, Ken Walker III became the headline.
I will never get tired of KW3's college highlights. As unhappy as most of us were with the Wilson trade when it was announced, there's an infusion of lot of young talent, and with Denver's 2023 1st and 2nd rounder still to come. And a TON of cap savings. This may be one of those rare scenarios where both teams "won" a trade. I hope we meet them in the Super Bowl soon (and win by even more than we did in 48).
The thing I continue to love is his sidestep at full speed. This is not something you learn, you are born with it. I want him to be as durable as he is good. There is a lot to be said for being able to play most games. Finally I loved that you showed his total rushing attempts in college was a little over 400 something. He has not had the tread burned off his tires. A good defense and a QB that can throw for 180 to 200 yards with Walker and Penny will make us competitive.