By Josh Ward
The addition of Wesley Walker this offseason is exactly what Tennessee needed.
Walker is a defensive back transfer from Georgia Tech. Thanks to the NCAA’s recent rule
change offering athletes a one-time allowance to play immediately, Walker will have a chance to
help Tennessee’s secondary this fall. And the Vols sure need help.
Defensive backs Theo Jackson and Alontae Taylor – two of the Vols’ top players last season –
are now in the NFL. What might life without Jackson and Taylor look like? Pull up the tape from Tennessee’s bowl
game against Purdue, which Taylor didn’t play in. It wasn’t pretty for the Vols’ defense, which
allowed Purdue’s passing offense to put up 534 yards – and that was with the Boilermakers
missing their top two receivers.
Task at hand
Tennessee’s coaches know the secondary needs work. That’s why adding someone like Walker to the 2022 class
was so important. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound Walker played in 20 games for Georgia Tech over the last two
seasons, starting 13 of them. He saw most of his time at the nickel position, the same spot
vacated by Jackson’s departure. Walker totaled 93 tackles the last two seasons, recording a career-best 10 tackles against Duke last fall.
Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks and defensive backs coach Willie Martinez should
be able to find the best role for Walker in the Vols’ secondary. There’s a good chance the
nickel/star position is the answer.
While Walker has plenty of experience entering his fourth collegiate season (he redshirted after
playing in just three games in 2019), he can play up to three more seasons at Tennessee
thanks to the extra year of eligibility offered from Covid-19 in 2020. Considering the attrition Tennessee has experienced in recent years, Walker‘s remaining eligibility can help in the rebuilding effort.
Now what
There’s no guarantee Walker will start this fall, but he will add needed depth to the secondary.
And his arrival increases team competition, which has been a priority for Josh Heupel and his
staff.
Walker should push Tennessee’s returning defensive backs, several of whom have seen
playing time but have yet to prove they can perform at a high level in the SEC.
Walker also has familiarity with Tennessee’s program. His stepbrother, Tyler Baron, is one of
Tennessee’s top defensive ends, and Walker is a former high school teammate of another
transfer, Andre Turrentine, who was rated No. 6 on the incoming signees list by Off The Hook Sports.
That’s something else Tennessee can try to build on for the future.
Turrentine, who played last season at Ohio State, and Walker were standouts at Ensworth High School in Nashville; their return to play for Tennessee is something Vols coaches will sell to other in-state recruits.
Tennessee hopes the arrival of Walker will be a double-win for the program: on the field this fall,
and in the future as Heupel and Co. continue to build their program.
