The 2024 Kentucky football team has a number of very talented players who could be early round draft picks. Defensive tackle Deone Walker might be the one who goes the highest though.
Last season, Walker had a breakthrough campaign with 55 tackles, including 12.5 for a loss. He also showed an improved pass rush ability, recording 7.5 sacks, which is a lot for a man listed at 6’6″ and a robust 345 lbs.
Walker will have big expectations in 2024, from fans and from himself. He sat down with Justin Melo of The Draft Network and spoke about a number of subjects, including his immense size and how he moves so quickly being that big. He told Melo:
I’ve always been that way (laughs). Going back to middle school and high school, I was always the fastest at footwork drills. My high school coaches always kept me moving. Keep your feet moving, Deone. I’ve always been the biggest guy. My junior and senior years, I was the biggest guy, but I always kept moving.
The potential first round draft pick also said he would like to work his way down to 325 lbs.
Related: Five Wildcats named preseason All-SEC
Walker also said his favorite defensive lineman was Calais Campbell, another tall defensive lineman, saying:
I love his game, I love watching his tape. We’re around the same size, maybe I’m a little bigger than him. He’s shown that you can be 6-foot-6, 6-foot-7 and still play the game at a high level. He’s shown that he can use both his hands and his feet to defeat blocks. I do the same thing. It doesn’t have to just be brute force all the time.
When asked how he would take another step going into 2024, Walker had this to say:
I’m more-so working on being a better leader off the field. I’m trying to show my young teammates how to do things the right way. I’m trying to show them how to be great in the classroom. If you’re great in the classroom, you can play stress-free football. It’s about taking care of your business off the field so you can be your best self on the field.
Over the course of the interview, Walker spoke about his best games at Kentucky so far, playing with Andru Phillips and Trevin Walker last season, and his coaches. The full interview can be found here, but his closing quote should get Big Blue Nation excited. He finished the interview by saying:
We’re about to have a great season.