Deone Walker reveals he was trying to 'kill' on viral hit that led to interception vs. Florida

He won’t do it often, but Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker is ready to make plays in zone coverage. He’s already got one to his name this season.

The hulking Wildcats defender — Walker stands at 6-feet, 6-inches tall and weighs around 350 pounds — got to drop back into a middle zone on a play against Florida this Saturday. And he did more than obstruct a passing lane with his big frame.

“I was just looking to kill ’em, you know?” Walker told On3’s Andy Staples about the hit he delivered to Florida tight end Arlis Boardingham. “Like, when I looked and saw that he threw the ball to him, I seen the ball in the air when I started running so I’m like, ‘Should I go for the ball or him?’ And then I seen Trevin Wallace start running with me. So I’m like, ‘I’m just going to go kill him and wherever the ball goes, it goes.'”

Another big play by @WallaceTrevin! Big hits by @KeatenWade and @deonewalker0 in coverage. pic.twitter.com/jWtAhImJr2

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 1, 2023

The design, with Walker dropping back a handful of yards from his position down on the defensive line, is a neat wrinkle to challenge the quarter, especially if they come back to a check down in the middle of the field late.

“I’ve always been athletic, good with my hips. They say I’m the most least-stiff offensive or defensive lineman in the building. We really added it on Wednesday, Tuesday or Wednesday, but he brought it to me early the morning like, ‘Would you feel comfortable?’ Of course I’m going to say, ‘Yeah,'” Walker said.

During the play itself, he wasn’t ever planning to do more than deliver a crushing blow.

Kentucky might’ve taken the linemen out of the trenches, but they couldn’t get the trench warfare mentality out of the lineman.

“It was just really, I just looked out to the boundary, see if there was two or three receivers, because that dictated what I had to do. They really just told me drop for five, sit there and get big,” Walker said about the moments before his crushing blow to Boardingham.  

From there, defensive lineman instincts took over.

 “Yeah you know, I wanna kill somebody, 24/7,” Walker said.

The look with Walker dropping into coverage is something Kentucky might sprinkle in on defense as the season goes on, giving him more chances to make plays in space.

And Walker won’t be going down easy if he ever snatches an interception himself, too.

“I’m not going down, for sure. I don’t care if it’s 99 yards, I’m — I’ll walk 30 of them before you get me. But I’m not going down, I’ll drag all 11 with me,” Walker said.