Tag: Wesley Walker

Sherrone Moore updates Michigan football growing injury list before Washington

Well, this is positive news. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It didn’t take long, but Michigan football went from being an extremely healthy team to one that’s extremely banged up.

The Wolverines were pretty much at full strength against USC in Week 4, but entering and leaving Week 5 against Minnesota was a different story entirely.

Will Johnson and Josaiah Stewart were injured against the Trojans. Myles Hinton, the starting left tackle, was injured this past weekend against the Gophers. Head coach Sherrone Moore was confident, however, that they, along with wide receiver Semaj Morgan, will all be back this week for the trip to Seattle to face Washington.

“Yeah, they’re all working through something,” Moore said. “Myles (is) working through something, came out of the game, probably could have went back in, but held them out. And Josaiah and Will look like they’ll be in good shape for this week.”

Another player who left last week’s game against Minnesota was safety Makari Paige. Given that Rod Moore, Wesley Walker, and Jaden Mangham were all unavailable, that meant that the Wolverines were really starting to dig into the bench at the safety position. Though second-year safety Brandyn Hillman came in and played well with Paige out, behind him, there’s little that’s good to go on at the position.

However, Moore expects that Paige will be fine to make the trip to Seattle and play against the Huskies.

“He’ll be good,” Moore said. “I think he’s just working through something, and he’ll be in good shape to go.”

Moore did clarify on some of the others who haven’t played. He says that cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows may be a little more long-term but Walker should be back soon and that Mangham isn’t injured, he’s dealing with something off the field.

“McBurrows will be out,” Moore said. “Mangham, he’s working through something off the field. He could possibly come back. (Walker is) working through something, but he’s not long-term, no.”

Michigan and Washington are set to kick off at Husky Stadium at 4:30 p.m. PDT with the game nationally broadcast on NBC.

Michigan coaches, ‘team atmosphere’ a different world for Wes Walker compared to previous stops

This is about as loud of a ringing endorsement for Sherrone Moore and #Michigan as it can get. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It’s been quite the journey for fifth-year safety Wesley Walker.

The former starter at Georgia Tech and, more recently, Tennessee opted for greener pastures in December and committed to Louisville via the transfer portal. But it appears that the Yellowjackets, the Vols, and the Cards could hold him, as he re-entered the portal and ended up in Ann Arbor as a Michigan Wolverine.

Walker has seen some coaches in his day — first Geoff Collins in Atlanta, but when he was ousted in 2022, he ended up joining Josh Heupel in Knoxville. He had a stint in spring ball with Jeff Brohm, but now Sherrone Moore is his new head coach.

Considering he has had a diverse experience and this is Moore’s first year as the head coach, what does Walker see from him? It turns out that, in his eyes, Michigan — the defending national champion — has the best operation of the bunch.

“Sherrone, great guy first before anything. But as far as a coach, he keeps things in order,” Walker said. “He makes sure everything flows smooth. And actually, all the players I’ve been (around), I think this is the smoothest practice, flow of practice. It’s strictly ball, and that’s what it should really always be. It’s not really a bunch of rah-rah stuff. It’s just strictly ball and getting in and getting better.

“The fact that we do a lot of ball, instead of doing a lot of separate stuff — we do a lot of good-on-good team things. So that’s ultimately how you gonna get better, going against (the other side of the ball) — good-on-good.”

But it’s not just the coaches. It’s the culture inside Schembechler Hall as a whole.

Yes, the Wolverines are on a bit of a sugar high having just won the national championship, but it’s not about what was just done — it’s about what’s possible this year.

Walker says that not only do his newfound teammates not spend time relishing their accomplishment from a year ago, their focus is on getting another championship. And what’s more, Walker feels more embraced as a part of a team in a way he hadn’t at his previous stops.

“Really, the biggest difference here is just the team atmosphere,” Walker said. “I feel like I’m really a part of a team. Like, truly. Not being cliche (but) ever since I got here, it just had a different feel. It feels more tight-knit and honestly, like with the championship, they don’t even really just speak about it too much. Honestly, it’s more so just about working towards getting another one. We don’t really talk about it. It’s just really just putting in the work to do it.”

Now Walker joins a program that particularly boasts a strong defense. That hasn’t necessarily been the case at his previous stops.

With Wink Martindale taking over the defensive coordinator duties in Ann Arbor, stewarding the system he initially fostered with the Baltimore Ravens, it’s a bit more complex than what Walker is used to running. While he also notes that football is football and as long as you understand that, you can understand a more complex scheme, Martindale’s system has the promise of putting him in different positions and making it that much easier to confuse the opposing offense compared to what he’s been in before.

“Yeah, it’s totally different. I’m used to playing quarters,” Walker said. “Just sit, play quarters, and get at the quarterback that way. But this, we run a lot of different things in different ways to mess with the quarterback. Show them different pictures. And you’ve got to be smart to be able to do that. So I’m really excited to be in this defense and just showcase my ability and what I can do. And I got great players around me too. So that’ll make it easier.”

Why Wesley Walker chose Michigan football via the transfer portal

Have the feeling he’s going to be a fan favorite this year. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — After the annual spring game, which took place in late April, Michigan football had a lot of questions about how its safety room would look.

Star senior Rod Moore — who opted to return for one more year — tore his ACL in practice and Quinten Johnson was supposedly off to the NFL. However, Johnson opted to return for a sixth year, so at least the Wolverines would have a rotation of fifth-year safety Makari Paige, Johnson, and sophomore Brandyn Hillman.

But life sometimes moves fast, and Michigan looked to move faster.

The Wolverines dipped into the transfer portal, not once, but twice, managing to get former Tennessee safety Wesley Walker and Michigan State defensive back Jaden Mangham. Walker knew someone on-staff in Ann Arbor — linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary, who rejoined the maize and blue after spending the past three years in Knoxville — who compelled him to visit campus after entering the transfer portal.

And considering the depth chart situation that Michigan had, without Rod Moore, Walker saw a path to playing meaningful minutes — which he was already accustomed to as a multi-year starter.

“Being transparent, if Rod didn’t get hurt, I probably wouldn’t have came here,” Walker said. “But as far as coming in and replacing him, we are different players, probably because I’m me and he’s him, so that’s just a given. But, I look forward to showing the fans my style of playing, how I play.”

So, beyond the depth chart, what was appealing about Michigan to Walker?

Of course, the Wolverines are coming off of a national championship, and with that comes a confidence that he hadn’t seen before. He went as far as to say this is the first ‘team’ he’s felt like he’s a part of.

But more than that, there was a lot of appeal, particularly in the way of the facilities and the support staff that Michigan has.

“I felt like Michigan just was the spot for me,” Walker said. “This is my last year, so just trying to find a spot that allowed the smoothest transition for me, and what I want now for my career. When the opportunity came, I knew I had to come see how it was up here. And when I got up here, it was a no-brainer.

“Some of those attributes really — the facility, the access that I have to know just get my body right, not only in the offseason and in season, the things that I have access to. The coaching staff was real transparent with me, and they painted a good picture for how I could be implemented into the defense. And it just, overall, just seemed like the best fit for me, and what I was looking for.”

That may be a lot of what Michigan can do for Walker, but as far as what Walker can do for Michigan, he not only brings experience, but football smarts, too.

A fan of joining Wink Martindale’s versatile defensive system, Walker sees a lot of opportunity, noting that more often than not at Tennessee, he was in a basic quarters coverage. Now, his full skill set can be put to use.

But what does that mean for Michigan? Walker says that the maize and blue are getting a smart, heady player that has seen enough football that he can play fast and instinctual. And what’s more, he can help pass along his knowledge to the younger players.

“Well, I played a lot of snaps in college — this is going into my final year, so I played close to over 2000 snaps,” Walker said. “I’ll bring IQ, a person that’s gonna play really fast, because I trust what I see. And I’m gonna be a sponge as well, though I know that — I know a lot, but I could also learn from other guys around me and my coaches. So I plan on just being a sponge and also spreading the knowledge that I already have.”

What Wesley Walker brings to the table for Michigan football

He’s an underrated addition to #Michigan. #GoBlue

DETROIT — Michigan football was awfully quiet for a big bulk of the offseason when it’s come to bringing in transfer players. In December, the Wolverines got two in linebacker Jaishawn Barham and left guard Josh Priebe but it took months before the maize and blue dipped back into the portal.

But once they did, it was quite productive.

One such player who came from another school to Ann Arbor was former Tennessee safety Wesley Walker who was a starter in Knoxville. Walker initially transferred to Louisville but ended up transferring again in the spring portal to Michigan football.

So what does his new head coach see in him?

Sherrone Moore spoke about Walker at SMSB, a recruiting event in Detroit, and says that the new Wolverines safety brings a lot to the table.

“Experienced, physical, dude loves to tackle and hit, really good cover guy,” Moore said. “I think he hasn’t let up a touchdown (at Tennessee) in is career there. So he’s just a dude.”

Walker fits into Michigan the same way that some of his predecessors have — he exudes leadership.

Last year, the Wolverines succeeded by bringing in multiple transfers who had been team captains at their previous stops. This year’s group doesn’t necessarily have the same pedigree, but there are aspects that Moore likes about Walker in that regard.

“And then he’s a leader. Like you can tell he’s a leader,” Moore said. “You go back and look him up, all the media days, he was there, anytime they had media with players, he was doing it. So it’s pretty cool thing that somebody else was doing that so we tried to bring in — guys like that.”

Walker wasn’t the only defensive back Michigan brought in via the transfer portal this spring. The room was bolstered with the additions of UNLV’s Ricky Johnson, Albany’s Aamir Hall, and Michigan State‘s Jaden Mangham also being added to the fold.

What Michigan is getting in transfer safety Wesley Walker

See what Michigan is getting from their SEC transfer safety. #GoBlue

Michigan landed a transfer victory with a commitment from safety Wesley Walker from Tennessee.

Walker, who started his career at Georgia Tech, is entering his sixth year of college football and will be on his third team. Walker started 10 games for the Volunteers in 2023 and recorded 53 tackles, two passes defensed, one sack, and one forced fumble. Walker has recorded 184 tackles, two sacks, one interception, and 12 passes defensed in his career,

The first thing that jumps out about Walker is his experience. Walker, who was in the same high school recruiting class as Daxton Hill, has appeared in 45 college games with 25 starts across two programs. Last season the Wolverines were able to build the core of their team around older players who understood what it meant to win, and it seems that the goal is to replicate that culture. After the injury to presumed starter Rod Moore, there are certainly some snaps up for grabs and there’s no one better to replace Moore than a veteran making one last run at a national title.

Should Makari Paige and Walker be the starting duo for Michigan, they would bring a combined 11 years of experience to the backfield — and that’s not counting the six years that Quinten Johnson will have under his belt. The value of having calm and seasoned vets playing safety cannot be overstated. Safeties cannot afford to jump the gun and must be among the most prepared defenders on the field. Having someone with a wealth of football knowledge is crucial for a strong secondary, and Walker brings that to the table.

Now, on to his skillset. Walker played as a field-side high safety for the Volunteers and was asked to cover a lot of ground. He slid down in the box a fair amount and played better against the run while closer to the line of scrimmage. He loves to be aggressive when making tackles and can jar the ball loose with good contact on any given snap, but is guilty of overpursuing. In coverage, Walker’s ability to cover ground down the field is impressive and opens up what Michigan can do schematically when blitzing cornerbacks. Walker’s overall terrific speed and acceleration allow him to run down outside runs from the box, and give the offense a tougher time getting the ball in space overall.

Waker is far from the perfect player, however. He tends to come downhill fast from his deep alignment and approach ball carriers with reckless abandon, which can lead to missed tackles. To put it kindly, he would be served well by learning how to break down before contact. Lining Walker up closer to the ball pre-snap eliminates part of his issue with pursuit angles and better allows him to attack offensive players, so I would expect to see him take a good portion of his snaps in the box.

Despite the fanfare that comes with starting at a high-level SEC program, I do not see Walker as a starter next season. The Wolverines have one starter penciled in with Makari Paige returning and likely pulled his running mate from the portal with a commitment from Jaden Mangham. Walker is a good player and will get meaningful snaps, but he isn’t the every-down safety that Michigan likes to deploy. Look for him and Quinten Johnson to serve as rotational pieces that take snaps away from the starters without a massive drop-off in talent.

Michigan football gets transfer from sixth-year Tennessee safety

A starter from the SEC? Yes, please! #GoBlue

Things are picking up for Michigan football on the transfer portal front and in a hurry.

Just days after missing out on a handful of targets, including one from the Wolverines backyard, the maize and blue have added a duo of defensive backs. It started with Aamir Hall, an impressive cornerback who comes aboard from the FCS level. But of stargazing is more your speed, then getting a player from the SEC will certainly move the needle.

When Rod Moore went down with an ACL injury not long after Keon Sabb transferred to Alabama, the Wolverines suddenly were in the market for safety help. Quinten Johnson surprised by returning for a sixth year and now he’ll have some company as sixth-year safety Wesley Walker has committed to Michigan.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7EfrcjOW_M/?igsh=MWRzdjAyenRtMWMzZw==

Walker comes aboard after being a two-year starter at Tennessee. He came to Knoxville after playing for three years at Georgia Tech. He committed earlier this offseason to Louisville but reentered the transfer portal this spring.

In 2023, Walker had 33 tackles with 3.5 for loss, one sack, two passes broken up and a forced fumble.

Vols’ redshirt senior safety enters NCAA transfer portal

Tennessee redshirt senior safety enters the NCAA transfer portal on Friday.

Tennessee redshirt senior safety Wesley Walker entered the NCAA transfer portal on Friday.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound defensive back appeared in 23 games for the Vols from 2022-23. He recorded 89 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, two sacks, one interception, seven pass deflections and one forced fumble at Tennessee.

Walker transferred to Tennessee from Georgia Tech ahead of the 2022 season.

He played at Georgia Tech from 2019-21, appearing in 23 games. Walker totaled 96 tackles, two tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles and six pass deflections for the Yellow Jackets.

Student-athletes can enter the NCAA transfer portal from Dec. 2 until Jan. 2, 2024. Players can also enter the NCAA transfer portal from April 15-30, 2024.

READ: Updated Tennessee football NCAA transfer portal tracker

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Wesley Walker discusses Texas A&M’s skill players

Tennessee defensive back Wesley Walker discusses Texas A&M’s skill players.

Redshirt senior defensive back Wesley Walker has appeared in five games for the Vols in 2023.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Walker has recorded 23 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, two pass deflections and one forced fumble this season.

Walker met with media on Tuesday and discussed Tennessee’s Week 7 contest versus Texas A&M.

“They have some good skill guys, good receivers, good running backs and a good quarterback,” Walker said. “He (Max Johnson) didn’t start the season, but he started at LSU and last year as well. They have an idea on offense. They know what they’re trying to get done and they do a good job of it, so we have to just watch film and understand their personnel. Where they want to put guys, what plays they are running when certain guys are in certain spots, and just play fast and play our brand.”

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports 

13 days until it is football time in Tennessee

Countdown to the 2023 season: 13 days until it is football time in Tennessee

Tennessee will kick off its 2023 football season in 13 days.

Redshirt senior defensive back Wesley Walker enters his second season at Tennessee and wears jersey No. 13. He transferred to Tennessee from Georgia Tech.

Walker appeared in 13 games for the Vols in 2022, recording 36 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, one interception and five pass deflections.

The Vols will kick off its 2023 season Sept. 2 versus Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff is slated for noon EDT and ABC will televise the contest.

Tennessee’s home schedule has contests against Austin Peay, UTSA, South Carolina, Texas A&M, UConn, Georgia and Vanderbilt.

The Vols’ road schedule features games at Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Missouri.

The 2023 season will be Tennessee’s third under head coach Josh Heupel.

Tennessee’s 2023 football schedule

2023 Tennessee Vols Football Schedule: Downloadable Smartphone Wallpaper

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Wesley Walker graded as top-returning SEC safety

Tennessee’s Wesley Walker graded as a top-returning SEC safety in 2023.

Tennessee redshirt senior safety Wesley Walker was named a top-graded 2023 returning safety in the Southeastern Conference by Pro Football Focus.

Walker (77.5), Hudson Clark (Arkansas, 77.0), Zion Childress (Kentucky, 76.5), Al Walcott (Arkansas, 75.4) and CJ Taylor (Vanderbilt, 74.6) are Pro Football Focus’ top five returning safeties in 2023.

The 6-foot-1, 204-pound Walker appeared in 13 games at Tennessee in 2023.

He recorded one interception, 36 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, one sack and five pass deflections last season.

Walker transferred to Tennessee from Georgia Tech following the 2021 season.

Walker played at Georgia Tech from 2019-21, appearing in 23 games. He recorded 96 tackles, two tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles and six pass deflections with the Yellow Jackets.

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