Jalon Walker to take next step in football career, declares for 2025 NFL Draft
Georgia has produced NFL linebackers for a while now under Kirby Smart, and Jalon Walker is looking to be the next. On Monday, the junior declared for the NFL Draft.
“Dawg Nation, First and foremost, I would like to give all the praise to God for blessing me with the opportunities He has given me. To my family, thank you for being the greatest support base that anyone could ask for! Your constant love shown uplifts and motivates me to keep going,” Walker wrote in a statement shared on social media. “To Coach Smart, Coach Schu and the rest of the coaching staff, thank you for believing in me and pushing me to my best abilities to succeed on the field The things I’ve learend over my time here will never be forgotten and will continue to live through me! To my teammates, you guys made these 3 years the best ever! I can truly call every last one of you a brother of mine and will forever support every last one of your! Glad I shared the locker room with you all!”
“I will always bleed red and black and will be a Dawg forever. I believe that the time has come for me to take the next step in my football career as I declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. Go Dawgs!”
Walker arrived in Athens a highly touted prospect and made being the nation’s best linebacker a goal of his. He accomplished that in his junior season, winning the Butkus Award.
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“It was a dream in the making,” Walker said about winning the the Butkus Award. “To have an opportunity to be with Coach Schumann from since my recruitment, three long, hard years with Coach Schumann since my freshman year, progressing and building my talent and skill sets through those many years and then finally getting awarded the Butkus Award this past month, you know, it was just a great honor.”
As a freshman, Walker played in all 15 games for Georgia. He blocked a punt that resulted in a safety in the Bulldogs’ non-conference game against Kent State. Then, as a sophomore, he posted a team-high five sacks. All together though, the two seasons combined for just 29 tackles. This year alone Walker more than doubled his total of the last two seasons combined, finishing with 60 tackles including a team-high 10.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Walker joins quarterback Carson Beck and offensive lineman Tate Ratledge in announcing a declaration for the NFL Draft. Others that are out of eligibility and will be in the draft pool include wide receiver Dominic Lovett, tight end Ben Yurosek, offensive lineman Xavier Truss, defensive lineman Warren Brinson, defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse, linebacker Smael Mondon and safety Dan Jackson.
