Deone Walker can be "as dominant a D-lineman there is"

You don’t get named to Bronko Nagurski, Outland and Lott IMPACT Trophy watch lists by accident. You’re not an All-American or All-SEC member as a freshman for no reason. Deone Walker accomplished that at Kentucky because he’s a freak athlete with immediate production and ridiculous upside.

The 6-foot-6, 330-pound defensive lineman racked up 40 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, one sack and one forced fumble during his debut campaign in Lexington. He looked the part of a potential first-round draft selection in the NFL, but he still has two seasons to go before he’s even eligible.

So where do you go when you’re already producing at a high level but boast a limitless ceiling? What are the next steps to inch closer to that?

“The first thing I notice with him is he’s got some natural leadership qualities. Everybody looks at his physical stature, the way he plays. But maturity and growth in that way is extremely important,” Mark Stoops said of Walker. “Even as a freshman, he had a way, if you watch him, to lead without being overly vocal. I appreciate that about him because he’s really a team guy.

“In this second season, I’m seeing that a little more vocal. I’m seeing him lead and be comfortable doing it. On the field, it will translate. He’s had a full off-season. He’s had the strength and conditioning. He looks quick. He looks in shape. We’ll keep on working.”

Physically, his potential is clear. And he’s got the leadership qualities to get there, too. What his defensive coordinator is looking for, though, is the drive and work ethic to go from great to other-worldly.

“He can be as good as he wants to be. Like, he can be as dominant a D-lineman as there is in this league and really in this country,” Brad White said on KSR. “But the Josh Allens and Jamins (Davis), they had this drive to be great. They obviously had supreme talent, but they also had this drive and this work ethic and this discipline to be great. There are a lot of talented guys, but you have to have the discipline to take that thing to the next level. And that’s what we’ve preached to Deone.”

That’s not to say the staff doesn’t expect that out of Walker. It’s what they demand out of him — there’s way too much talent there to not make the jump he’s capable of making.

But that’s what they’re pushing now. Don’t settle because things went well in year one. Push and go for the kill, keep that foot on the gas. He’s capable and ready. Now it’s just about doing it.

“I think and I hope that he’s taking that to heart and he’s ready to push. As soon as you get comfortable, as soon as you get complacent, you get passed up,” White said. “Somebody else comes along. And unless you do something just crazy extraordinary to where you become a legend, you’re just a good player that was there. Then they forget about you.”

That’s the message to Walker: Be the legend you’re capable of being. He’s got a chance to go down in history as one of the best to ever do it here in Lexington. Now go do it.

“When you’ve got a chance to cement your legacy at a place,” White said. “I always tell these guys, ‘Listen, you may not realize it now at 18, 19, 22, whatever your age is at this point, but it’s gonna matter to you later in life. It’s not the only thing, but there’s something cool about being one of those guys. In that elite conversation.”

Can Deone Walker join that conversation? Mark Stoops certainly thinks so.

“I expect big things out of him,” he said.