University of Georgia Athletics
Walker Hoping Special Moments Continue
December 30, 2024 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Jalon Walker knew something was up when he saw his family at a Georgia football team meeting on Dec. 11. He loves and admires his family, and wouldn't be the person or football player he is without them, but team meetings aren't typically family affairs. There's also nothing typical about Walker, the multi-talented All-American outside linebacker.
The junior from Salisbury, N.C., grew up in a football family, with a father, Curtis, who has been a coach for decades, and a younger brother, Deuce, who's a defensive back at Georgia State. Walker wanted to win the Butkus Award, presented to the nation's top linebacker, in high school, but he came up a little short. During his official visit to Georgia, he took a photo with the trophy — and earning his own one day, he said, "that was my goal."
In November, Walker was named one of the five finalists for the collegiate Butkus Award. And at that team meeting on Dec. 11, Walker was on stage with coach Kirby Smart when officials from the award and Walker's family made their way to the stage to reveal that he was the 2024 winner.
"When I walked up to the podium and I was answering some questions with Coach Smart, I looked out into the crowd; I was like, Man, it's pretty full in here," Walker said. "When the trophy was coming close to me, I just grabbed it. It's a blessing. And seeing my family there, supporting me — my brother, my mom and dad — it was just a very special moment."
It was a moment Walker earned, both with his play on the field and his actions off it through his work in the community and his time on the SEC Leadership Council; he was also a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award.
"This is an all-encompassing award, that goes way beyond football. ... You're a special player, but you're an even more special person," Fain & Billy Slaughter defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann said in a team video posted on social media.
Heading into Wednesday night's College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup between the No. 2 Bulldogs and No. 5 Notre Dame at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Walker has a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss and is tied with Chaz Chambliss for the lead in sacks with 6.5. Walker's 57 total tackles rank fourth and his 35 quarterback pressures are nine more than any other Bulldog.
"I take a lot of pride in being the player that I wanted to be and how much work I had to put in this whole offseason," Walker said. "Having a good spring and having a good fall camp all led to the season I'm having now."
Walker is the third Bulldog ever to win the Butkus Award — all three have come in the past eight seasons. Roquan Smith won it in 2017, Nakobe Dean won it in 2021, and now it's Walker's turn. Smith and the Bulldogs played for the national championship the year he won it; Dean and the Bulldogs won the title the year he won it. Walker and the 2024 Bulldogs' Playoff journey begins on New Year's Day.
"My ideal individual success is led by team success, so having the opportunity to play in the College Football Playoff, the opportunity to go win the national championship, that's when I'll feel like the year will be complete," Walker said.
Smith not only won the collegiate award with the Bulldogs, the Baltimore Ravens standout also won the NFL version in 2022 and '23, becoming one of four players to ever win the collegiate and NFL Butkus Awards. Dean, meanwhile, was also a double winner, having won the award as the nation's top high school linebacker in 2018, followed by the collegiate award after his junior season at Georgia.
As a freshman in 2022, Walker played as a reserve in 15 games, making a total of nine tackles, with a sack and two tackles for loss. In 2023, his totals went up to 20 tackles, five sacks and 5.5 TFLs. This season, his first as a starter, has been his most impactful yet.
"On the field (at practice), he's not too fun to block," Georgia All-American offensive lineman Tate Ratledge said. "Off the field, Jalon is a tremendous personality. He's a good kid and I've loved getting to know him. He's always got a good attitude and he's a great leader."
Walker opened the season with six tackles and 1.5 sacks in Georgia's route of Clemson in Atlanta. He played well in the next few games but it was when Georgia visited No. 1 Texas that Walker had his breakout performance, getting three sacks and seven tackles in the first half of the Bulldogs' 30-15 win. Per ESPN Stats and Info, Walker was the first player in 20 years to have three sacks and seven tackles against the Associated Press poll's No. 1-ranked team.
When Georgia and Texas faced off again, in the SEC Championship Game, Walker had three tackles, all of them for loss, with one sack. It was another great performance in a life full of them.
You see, Walker has been performing well under pressure for many years. Along with being a very talented athlete, he's been a singer and an actor. He was the Tin Man in "The Wizard of Oz" at one point when he was younger, and he did a lot of singing in his church choir and singing the national anthem at college football and basketball games and even minor league baseball games. In college, Walker has done voiceover work for the SEC.
Walker said his favorite football performance so far came in his final home game at Salisbury High School when he scored three touchdowns. One came on offense as a receiver, one came on a fumble recovery on defense, and the third was on a fake punt.
"My favorite was probably the fake punt," he said. "I had the opportunity to share a moment in the end zone with my brother, to celebrate with him."
The brothers celebrated Walker winning the Butkus Award together, too. And who knows what else they might get to celebrate in the weeks ahead.
Staff Writer
Jalon Walker knew something was up when he saw his family at a Georgia football team meeting on Dec. 11. He loves and admires his family, and wouldn't be the person or football player he is without them, but team meetings aren't typically family affairs. There's also nothing typical about Walker, the multi-talented All-American outside linebacker.
The junior from Salisbury, N.C., grew up in a football family, with a father, Curtis, who has been a coach for decades, and a younger brother, Deuce, who's a defensive back at Georgia State. Walker wanted to win the Butkus Award, presented to the nation's top linebacker, in high school, but he came up a little short. During his official visit to Georgia, he took a photo with the trophy — and earning his own one day, he said, "that was my goal."
In November, Walker was named one of the five finalists for the collegiate Butkus Award. And at that team meeting on Dec. 11, Walker was on stage with coach Kirby Smart when officials from the award and Walker's family made their way to the stage to reveal that he was the 2024 winner.
"When I walked up to the podium and I was answering some questions with Coach Smart, I looked out into the crowd; I was like, Man, it's pretty full in here," Walker said. "When the trophy was coming close to me, I just grabbed it. It's a blessing. And seeing my family there, supporting me — my brother, my mom and dad — it was just a very special moment."
It was a moment Walker earned, both with his play on the field and his actions off it through his work in the community and his time on the SEC Leadership Council; he was also a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award.
"This is an all-encompassing award, that goes way beyond football. ... You're a special player, but you're an even more special person," Fain & Billy Slaughter defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann said in a team video posted on social media.
Heading into Wednesday night's College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup between the No. 2 Bulldogs and No. 5 Notre Dame at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Walker has a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss and is tied with Chaz Chambliss for the lead in sacks with 6.5. Walker's 57 total tackles rank fourth and his 35 quarterback pressures are nine more than any other Bulldog.
"I take a lot of pride in being the player that I wanted to be and how much work I had to put in this whole offseason," Walker said. "Having a good spring and having a good fall camp all led to the season I'm having now."
Walker is the third Bulldog ever to win the Butkus Award — all three have come in the past eight seasons. Roquan Smith won it in 2017, Nakobe Dean won it in 2021, and now it's Walker's turn. Smith and the Bulldogs played for the national championship the year he won it; Dean and the Bulldogs won the title the year he won it. Walker and the 2024 Bulldogs' Playoff journey begins on New Year's Day.
"My ideal individual success is led by team success, so having the opportunity to play in the College Football Playoff, the opportunity to go win the national championship, that's when I'll feel like the year will be complete," Walker said.
Smith not only won the collegiate award with the Bulldogs, the Baltimore Ravens standout also won the NFL version in 2022 and '23, becoming one of four players to ever win the collegiate and NFL Butkus Awards. Dean, meanwhile, was also a double winner, having won the award as the nation's top high school linebacker in 2018, followed by the collegiate award after his junior season at Georgia.
As a freshman in 2022, Walker played as a reserve in 15 games, making a total of nine tackles, with a sack and two tackles for loss. In 2023, his totals went up to 20 tackles, five sacks and 5.5 TFLs. This season, his first as a starter, has been his most impactful yet.
"On the field (at practice), he's not too fun to block," Georgia All-American offensive lineman Tate Ratledge said. "Off the field, Jalon is a tremendous personality. He's a good kid and I've loved getting to know him. He's always got a good attitude and he's a great leader."
Walker opened the season with six tackles and 1.5 sacks in Georgia's route of Clemson in Atlanta. He played well in the next few games but it was when Georgia visited No. 1 Texas that Walker had his breakout performance, getting three sacks and seven tackles in the first half of the Bulldogs' 30-15 win. Per ESPN Stats and Info, Walker was the first player in 20 years to have three sacks and seven tackles against the Associated Press poll's No. 1-ranked team.
When Georgia and Texas faced off again, in the SEC Championship Game, Walker had three tackles, all of them for loss, with one sack. It was another great performance in a life full of them.
You see, Walker has been performing well under pressure for many years. Along with being a very talented athlete, he's been a singer and an actor. He was the Tin Man in "The Wizard of Oz" at one point when he was younger, and he did a lot of singing in his church choir and singing the national anthem at college football and basketball games and even minor league baseball games. In college, Walker has done voiceover work for the SEC.
Walker said his favorite football performance so far came in his final home game at Salisbury High School when he scored three touchdowns. One came on offense as a receiver, one came on a fumble recovery on defense, and the third was on a fake punt.
"My favorite was probably the fake punt," he said. "I had the opportunity to share a moment in the end zone with my brother, to celebrate with him."
The brothers celebrated Walker winning the Butkus Award together, too. And who knows what else they might get to celebrate in the weeks ahead.
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.
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