The top-10 runs of Kenneth Walker III's college career

Seaside Joe 1279, 9/5/22: It's never a day off for 2021's best college running back

The hardest part about compiling this list of Kenneth Walker III’s best runs as a collegiate running back was not gathering the GIFs or combing through his entire career. Thanks to the Seaside Joe series that covered every game of Walker’s careers at Wake Forest and Michigan State, that part was relatively easy.

No, the hardest part was cutting this list down to only 10 plays. By the time I had finally decided on Walker’s can’t-miss plays that every Seahawks fan should be aware of…I was left with 26 moments.

That’s when the really difficult decisions started for me.

Also, that’s why you should re-live the series—every article is linked in here:

What Seahawks can expect from Ken Walker III when he returns from injury based on the final game of his college career

I have saved the plays that did not make it into my top-10 and I’m sure I’ll use them for an article down the line. If you want to help support Seaside Joe, you deciding to sign up today for a free or paid version of the newsletter would be immensely appreciated:

I binge-watched Hard Knocks on Sunday night and I was caught by a moment when Lions running backs coach Duce Staley implores D’Andre Swift to please be better by finding ways to gain yards rather than just trying to out-run everybody. I don’t imagine that’s something that running backs coach Chad Morton has to worry about with Kenneth Walker III.

He’s not just one of the fastest running backs in the league now (4.38), he’s shown elite aptitude for evading tackles and finding extra yards since his first day of playing college football as a nobody recruit who went to Wake Forest because he only had two D-I offers.

Walker can run, he can catch, he can score, and he can even run the wildcat offense for you if you need it. This season, the Seahawks may need that a few times.

But today I’m going to highlight the 10 most outstanding plays from Walker’s college career regardless of situation or design. I’ve ordered them chronologically because it’s simply too difficult and incomprehensible to rank them by quality; they’re ALL HIGH-QUALITY PLAYS that you will rarely see from any college running back.

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Wake Forest vs Rice, 2019 - 96-yard TD

Though Walker was active in Week 1, this Week 2 matchup against Rice was his first opportunity to carry the ball. What a time to show off your big play ability, scoring a 96-yard touchdown in the very first game of your college career on offense.

Wake Forest vs NC State, 2020 - Walker forces 2 missed tackles on same player

#11 on NC State thinks he can bring down Walker with a horse collar tackle but doesn't get a grip. So he comes back around to dive at Walker again, only to be spun off for a first down run at a critical moment of the game.

Wake Forest vs Virginia, 2020 - 75-yard TD

It’s hard to believe that 75-yard touchdowns are “ho-hum” but I had to really question if I should even include this play because ho-ho-home runs are just another day of doing business for Ken Walker III. Despite breaking a fourth quarter tie with this 75-yard scamper, it’s not even Walker’s most thrilling 75-yard touchdown run within that 12-month period…

Michigan State vs Northwestern, 2021 - 75-yard TD on his first play with the Spartans…ever

The only Power 5 program to recruit Walker from the transfer portal in 2021, Michigan State got everything they bargained for and they didn’t have to wait :15 seconds to find out. On the very first play of the season, before anyone had any idea that Walker would finish sixth in Heisman voting and turn around the Spartans from a 2-5 season to CFP contenders, Walker breaks a tackle and then shows off his speed for an immediate touchdown.

Let’s call this next one just a “Bonus” then instead of an official play in the countdown, because Walker later had a 50-yard run in the fourth quarter of the same game.

Michigan State vs Miami, 2021 - He will be your favorite NFL running back:

I have watched this play many times over the last couple of months and I will never get over how important players and moments like this are to the sport of football. We watch the game to be entertained. If you’re not entertained by this running back, what are you watching for?

Michigan State vs Miami, 2021 - Your absolute favorite running back

Michigan State vs Rutgers, 2021 - 94 yards

If this list were in order of “best” plays, this is likely considered by many to be Walker’s best run in college and would rank first. I have no problem with that. The only issue I could take with that statement is that it might distract from the fact that while this is not a “routine play” for anyone, it’s not unexpected from somebody like Walker. He had a 94-yard touchdown during his first game as a running back. He had a 75-yard touchdown as he was getting ready to leave Wake. He had a 75-yard touchdown on his first play at Michigan State.

Welcome to the Ken Walker experience: It’s been very consistent and I expect these moments to continue in the NFL.

Michigan State vs Michigan, 2021 - Not just “broken” tackles—EVADED tackles

Needing this win more than anything else last season, Michigan State upset Michigan thanks to FIVE rushing touchdowns by Ken Walker III and that’s not just a bunch of goal line carries. He’s GREAT near the goal line but he often scores from outside of the red zone anyway.

I didn’t choose a scoring play here. Instead, I went with this play where Walker a) notices that the LOS is a pile and redirects, b) evades a tackle from the DT and cuts right, evading TWO Michigan players on the edge, including Aidan Hutchinson, the number two pick in the draft, c) finds TWO MORE defenders and runs around them to pick up a first down, breaking through a shoelace tackle.

Michigan State vs Michigan, 2021 - The best 2-yard run I’ve seen

I chose this over a very exciting 58-yard touchdown run. Like I said, the long runs are almost—not quite but almost—just everyday stuff for Walker. Look at how he freezes the linebacker and spins out for a two-yard gain instead of a five-yard loss. That linebacker is #25 Junior Colson, a four-star recruit and the number 10 linebacker recruit in the entire country in 2021.

Michigan State vs Maryland, 2021 - Patience, Vision, and Stiff Arms

Between you, me, and Duce Staley, I think that the Lions running backs coach would trade Swift for Walker in a heartbeat. All Staley wanted Swift to do was throw a stiff arm for a touchdown. You don’t have to ask Walker to do that. He LIVES for being elusive. As a bonus highlight, he embarrassed Maryland’s linebackers again, sticking a foot in the ground and cutting to his left for an extra 20+ yards.

THIS GUY PLAYS FOR THE SEAHAWKS NOW. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO EMBARRASS YOURSELF BY CRITICIZING THE SEAHAWKS FOR DRAFTING HIM IN THE SECOND ROUND?

ESPN College Football @ESPNCFB

Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III announced Thursday that he's entering the NFL draft and will forgo playing in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30. es.pn/3dW07ck