Georgia LB Jalon Walker did something against Texas that no player has done in 20 years
Georgia Bulldogs junior linebacker Jalon Walker set the tone early during Saturday night's 30-15 win over the Texas Longhorns. In just the first half, Walker racked up three sacks on Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers and seven tackles, becoming the first college football player in the last 20 years to reach those numbers against the No. […]
Georgia Bulldogs junior linebacker Jalon Walker set the tone early during Saturday night's 30-15 win over the Texas Longhorns.
In just the first half, Walker racked up three sacks on Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers and seven tackles, becoming the first college football player in the last 20 years to reach those numbers against the No. 1 ranked team in the country, according to ESPN Stats and Information.
Walker finished the game with eight tackles, three sacks, and a fumble recovery. He has now registered 30 total tackles (18 solo), 4.5 sacks for a loss of 36 yards, one fumble recovery, and one pass defended through seven games this season.
He leads the Bulldogs defense in sacks and his 30 tackles rank fourth on the team.
His overall growth from when he first joined the team in 2022 to now has not gone unnoticed by head coach Kirby Smart and his dad gives Georgia all of the credit.
"He's a high-character leader," Smart said. "He was the guy that presented me with the football in there after the game, the 100th-win ball. He's just such a high-character kid and high moral value and great family. You think back to all those wins you get in recruiting and how you really don't know how important they are. I think back to when he called and told us he was coming, what that changed his life towards and what it changed for us. His dad reached out the other day and said, 'Kirby, y'all have done everything you said you were going to do with my son, and I really appreciate you making him a better man.'"
His performance against Texas also earned him SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week alongside defensive end Mykel Williams.
Walker, a four-star prospect out of Salisbury High School in North Carolina, was ranked as the No. 3 linebacker prospect nationally, No. 1 prospect in North Carolina, and No. 44 prospect nationally when he committed to Georgia in December of 2021.
He played in a reserve role during his first two seasons with the Bulldogs before taking on a larger one this season as a hybrid linebacker.
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