Kenneth Walker III -Idle Curosity

[onthehill71]

Watching him run over, under and thru 49er's...I noticed he graduated from Arlington HS. Went to Mich State and ran all over Jim Harbaugh.... how did we miss him at UT?
Anyone have any insights?

 

[YankeeVol]

He was a 3* the year TN got Gray

 

[Doberman]

Watching him run over, under and thru 49er's...I noticed he graduated from Arlington HS. Went to Mich State and ran all over Jim Harbaugh.... how did we miss him at UT?
Anyone have any insights?

He started out at Wake Forest then transferred to Michigan State.

My son played “Pop Warner” ball with him when they were kids. Walker was an unstoppable monster.

 

[Smokey#6]

3 star? I'm starting to want these 3 stars more and more!
Come to the Hill!

 

[#1fulmerite]

3* with a 5* heart?

 

[FiremedicVOL127]

3* with a 5* heart?

Butch? Is that you?

 

[farmdogvol]

Velus Jones got in for a least 1 play also last night. He is still hanging around at RB.

 

[orange parmejohn]

-Idle Curiosity is a great addition to a thread title. More posters should use that rather than just a player’s name. Kudos OP.

 

[WaywardVol]

3 star? I'm starting to want these 3 stars more and more!
Come to the Hill!

Sampson was a three star as well. Although, I’d take a Barkley or Henry as well.

 

[Five0Vol]

My son played against him in high school. I think he scored at least 4 touchdowns that game in the first half. My son saw the back of his jersey alot . He was a very good RB, small but very compact.

 

[Volizona]

Butch? Is that you?

No. It’s Fulmer! You’re getting our coaches mixed up!

 

[1morevol]

No. It’s Fulmer! You’re getting our coaches mixed up!

Too articulate to be Fulmer.

 

[wmcovol]

Pruitt “recruited” Gray with a Chick fila bag. Where’s Gray today?

 

[GordonC]

Pruitt “recruited” Gray with a Chick fila bag. Where’s Gray today?

Giants
torn miniscus early season

 

[YankeeVol]

Pruitt “recruited” Gray with a Chick fila bag. Where’s Gray today?

Uh, the NFL.

Eric Gray's career earnings are projected to reach around $4 million by the end of his initial four-year rookie contract with the New York Giants (2023-2026), with cumulative earnings estimated at $2.88 million through 2025, and a projected total of ~$4.03 million by the end of the 2026 season, including his signing bonus and salary progression.

 

[memtownvol]

Two of my daughters went to school with him. Very polite young man with a great attitude. He basically played on a bad team and didn’t get the attention he deserved. Diamond in the rough kinda guy. Glad to see him continuing to do great things.

 

[Vol2B]

He was good but not eye popping good at Arlington. Turned into a stud in college and seems to be really hitting his stride in the league.

 

[Vol2B]

Two of my daughters went to school with him. Very polite young man with a great attitude. He basically played on a bad team and didn’t get the attention he deserved. Diamond in the rough kinda guy. Glad to see him continuing to do great things.

Exactly this. Tigers were not a good team.

 

[Doberman]

He was good but not eye popping good at Arlington. Turned into a stud in college and seems to be really hitting his stride in the league.

He was eye popping good playing SYS for the Ellendale Bears.

Kenny “Thunder Shoes” Walker back then. They played AC/DC Thunderstruck over the speakers in Ellendale Park.

 

[shotgun83]

Stars can be over and under rated

 

[wmcovol]

Uh, the NFL.

Eric Gray's career earnings are projected to reach around $4 million by the end of his initial four-year rookie contract with the New York Giants (2023-2026), with cumulative earnings estimated at $2.88 million through 2025, and a projected total of ~$4.03 million by the end of the 2026 season, including his signing bonus and salary progression.

I didn’t know. I don’t follow the NFL. Thanks for answering.

 

[Smoky901]

I was one of Kenny’s wrestling coaches in middle school… he’s a great young man and I got to see up close his work ethic and talent. He had coaches from a few schools in Memphis wanting him to wrestle and play football. He just kinda flew under the radar his senior year but those close to him knew how special he was going to be. He really just needed the right program to shine in and he got that at Michigan St.

 

[TrueOrange]

Watching him run over, under and thru 49er's...I noticed he graduated from Arlington HS. Went to Mich State and ran all over Jim Harbaugh.... how did we miss him at UT?
Anyone have any insights?

He was a 3 star who got recruited to Wake Forest, where he played for his freshman and sophomore year, before transferring to Michigan State for his last year of college.

At the time, for example, Rivals had him rated #163 at the running back position and 63rd of all prospects in the state. (ESPN was presumably a little kinder to him, rating him #91 at the RB position and #39 in the state).

That year, though, UT had already gotten Eric Gray (who Rivals rated #12 overall at the running back position and #6 of all prospects in the state...ESPN #19 at the position and #6 in the state), already had Ty Chandler on the roster (who Rivals had rated #7 at the position and #5 in the state, while ESPN #9 at the position and #6 in the state), as well as Carlin Fils-aime and Cameron Miller

They probably felt they were set at RB (yes, I know neither Gray nor Chandler finished at UT, but this is all about how/why they didn't look at / recruit someone), but even so or with the benefit of hindsight, Walker was so far down the rankings and lists, UT was probably never really looking or considering him all that much as a recruit out of high school.