University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Quay Walker
September 02, 2021 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Quay Walker cares about home. It's the people back in little Cordele, Ga., the Georgia senior linebacker said, that have made him into the man he is today.
The man he is now is a 6-foot-4 and 240-pound smart and physical football player, and a man that knows where he came from and wants to give back. Walker said during a Quick Chat this week that he looks forward to running free football camps for kids in Cordele one day.
Walker and the fifth-ranked Bulldogs open their season Saturday night against No. 2 Clemson, in the Duke's Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. During our Chat, Walker talked about his most memorable play, a favorite meal back home, what makes Cordele special, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Thinking back through the entire time you've been playing sports, is there one play that stands out as your best or favorite?
Walker: I'll take you back to when I was probably 9 years old. We had a home game, it was a jamboree which is when a lot of teams come, and we were playing Tifton County. I was playing quarterback then and I showed up late for the walkthrough before the game.
My coach got onto me and was fussing at me. He said that because I was late I was going to run the ball the first play, a quarterback sneak. I ran the ball that first play and scored from like 80 or 90 yards. I'll never forget that because I got fussed at and I was pretty nervous. I think me being nervous is pretty much the reason why I scored.
Frierson: How would you describe yourself as a quarterback?
Walker: I was pretty good. I wouldn't have thought I'd wind up playing linebacker.
Frierson: Did you have quarterback dreams and aspirations but then your body or your coaches led you toward linebacker?
Walker: As I got older, I got bigger, taller, gained a little weight, and started playing on the defensive side more. In rec (league), I was a guy that could hit hard for the age that I was. It all pretty much went from there. Coaches watching me play rec had already figured out that I was going to play linebacker.
Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up?
Walker: I played baseball, but only for one year, and I played basketball. I was a pretty good basketball player; I was a 6-4 power forward, which is not that big but I made things work.
Frierson: Is there something about playing that position at that size that has helped you in your football career?
Walker: In high school it did and pretty much in college, as well. Basketball and football can relate in some ways. If it's rushing the quarterback, there are a lot of things that can carry on from basketball to football.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Walker: Can it be a restaurant?
Frierson: It can be anything you want.
Walker: There's a place called Carter's Burgers in Cordele, where I'm from, and I could eat that just about every day.
Frierson: What is your perfect burger?
Walker: When I go there I actually get a chicken breast sandwich. It's pretty much a Chick-fil-A sandwich, with a big breast, hot sauce, mayo, lettuce, and that's pretty much it. I cut it in half and just go from there.
Frierson: Do you like to cook? Can you cook?
Walker: I can cook but I prefer for the food to be cooked for me and I just do the eating.
Frierson: I'm very much the same way. What do you do to get away from school and football?
Walker: To me, I pretty much go off somewhere by myself. Being in my room or going back home. I like to go home when I can, any time that we have a bye week or something, I'll go home. I think about where I come from and what all I've been through and what got me to where I'm at now. But I pretty much eat, sleep and live football, even when I'm away from football.
Frierson: When did that transition happen? When did football become such a huge part of your life?
Walker: It pretty much started in high school. That was when I fell in love with it. When I got to high school I was in love with basketball, and I had a coach of mine, Shelton Felton, who wanted me to try football (again). Like I told you, I was a 6-4 power forward. You've got point guards that are 6-4 and 6-5, and he talked to me about how being 6-4 in football, that's big.
From then on, I trusted him and just fell in love with the game, and everything else has played out like it has.
Frierson: You've mentioned home a couple of times, so what comes to mind when you think of Cordele?
Walker: It's the place that made me who I am today. I don't think I'd be where I'm at if it wasn't for me being where I'm from. I love home so much because it's a love like no other; there's just something about it. It's a small town and to a lot of people they may be like, it's a small town and there's nothing going on, but I love it because everybody is genuine and shows that they care.
Whenever I'm down, they might send me a text on social media or whatnot. Whenever I'm home, they come up and say hello. It's like family. There's just something about it that I really can't explain.
Frierson: Are you a little bit of a celebrity in town?
Walker: Yeah, I am. Plus, I play for Georgia, and down in southwest Georgia it's nothing but red and black.
Frierson: Have you had to get used to people coming up to you or was it the same way when you were starring in high school?
Walker: It's the same, like you said. It's mainly the kids and I pretty much love that because me being who I am, we never really had anything like that when I was growing up.
Frierson: Have you thought about ways to give back down the road?
Walker: Oh, yeah. I had already decided before I even got to college that my first football camp was going to be back home. It's going to be for free; I don't know the ages yet but it's going to be for free and it's going to be my way of giving back. I'm going to do more as it comes along but that's the first thing that I've got in mind.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Quay Walker cares about home. It's the people back in little Cordele, Ga., the Georgia senior linebacker said, that have made him into the man he is today.
The man he is now is a 6-foot-4 and 240-pound smart and physical football player, and a man that knows where he came from and wants to give back. Walker said during a Quick Chat this week that he looks forward to running free football camps for kids in Cordele one day.
Walker and the fifth-ranked Bulldogs open their season Saturday night against No. 2 Clemson, in the Duke's Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. During our Chat, Walker talked about his most memorable play, a favorite meal back home, what makes Cordele special, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Thinking back through the entire time you've been playing sports, is there one play that stands out as your best or favorite?
Walker: I'll take you back to when I was probably 9 years old. We had a home game, it was a jamboree which is when a lot of teams come, and we were playing Tifton County. I was playing quarterback then and I showed up late for the walkthrough before the game.
My coach got onto me and was fussing at me. He said that because I was late I was going to run the ball the first play, a quarterback sneak. I ran the ball that first play and scored from like 80 or 90 yards. I'll never forget that because I got fussed at and I was pretty nervous. I think me being nervous is pretty much the reason why I scored.
Frierson: How would you describe yourself as a quarterback?
Walker: I was pretty good. I wouldn't have thought I'd wind up playing linebacker.
Frierson: Did you have quarterback dreams and aspirations but then your body or your coaches led you toward linebacker?
Walker: As I got older, I got bigger, taller, gained a little weight, and started playing on the defensive side more. In rec (league), I was a guy that could hit hard for the age that I was. It all pretty much went from there. Coaches watching me play rec had already figured out that I was going to play linebacker.
Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up?
Walker: I played baseball, but only for one year, and I played basketball. I was a pretty good basketball player; I was a 6-4 power forward, which is not that big but I made things work.
Frierson: Is there something about playing that position at that size that has helped you in your football career?
Walker: In high school it did and pretty much in college, as well. Basketball and football can relate in some ways. If it's rushing the quarterback, there are a lot of things that can carry on from basketball to football.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Walker: Can it be a restaurant?
Frierson: It can be anything you want.
Walker: There's a place called Carter's Burgers in Cordele, where I'm from, and I could eat that just about every day.
Frierson: What is your perfect burger?
Walker: When I go there I actually get a chicken breast sandwich. It's pretty much a Chick-fil-A sandwich, with a big breast, hot sauce, mayo, lettuce, and that's pretty much it. I cut it in half and just go from there.
Frierson: Do you like to cook? Can you cook?
Walker: I can cook but I prefer for the food to be cooked for me and I just do the eating.
Frierson: I'm very much the same way. What do you do to get away from school and football?
Walker: To me, I pretty much go off somewhere by myself. Being in my room or going back home. I like to go home when I can, any time that we have a bye week or something, I'll go home. I think about where I come from and what all I've been through and what got me to where I'm at now. But I pretty much eat, sleep and live football, even when I'm away from football.
Frierson: When did that transition happen? When did football become such a huge part of your life?
Walker: It pretty much started in high school. That was when I fell in love with it. When I got to high school I was in love with basketball, and I had a coach of mine, Shelton Felton, who wanted me to try football (again). Like I told you, I was a 6-4 power forward. You've got point guards that are 6-4 and 6-5, and he talked to me about how being 6-4 in football, that's big.
From then on, I trusted him and just fell in love with the game, and everything else has played out like it has.
Frierson: You've mentioned home a couple of times, so what comes to mind when you think of Cordele?
Walker: It's the place that made me who I am today. I don't think I'd be where I'm at if it wasn't for me being where I'm from. I love home so much because it's a love like no other; there's just something about it. It's a small town and to a lot of people they may be like, it's a small town and there's nothing going on, but I love it because everybody is genuine and shows that they care.
Whenever I'm down, they might send me a text on social media or whatnot. Whenever I'm home, they come up and say hello. It's like family. There's just something about it that I really can't explain.
Frierson: Are you a little bit of a celebrity in town?
Walker: Yeah, I am. Plus, I play for Georgia, and down in southwest Georgia it's nothing but red and black.
Frierson: Have you had to get used to people coming up to you or was it the same way when you were starring in high school?
Walker: It's the same, like you said. It's mainly the kids and I pretty much love that because me being who I am, we never really had anything like that when I was growing up.
Frierson: Have you thought about ways to give back down the road?
Walker: Oh, yeah. I had already decided before I even got to college that my first football camp was going to be back home. It's going to be for free; I don't know the ages yet but it's going to be for free and it's going to be my way of giving back. I'm going to do more as it comes along but that's the first thing that I've got in mind.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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