First Down Kentucky: Deone Walker ready to get Kentucky Over the Hump
Deone Walker is exhaling following the spring semester at Kentucky. This month will give the dominant defensive lineman time to gear up for what he hopes will be a historic season for the Wildcats.
“I just want us to get over that hump. I want teams to know, I want people to know that Kentucky is a team to be reckoned with,” Walker said.
Big No. 0 joined the Zach Gelb Show to talk about his upcoming season in Lexington. Already considered a top talent in next year’s NFL Draft class, Walker does not have individual goals ahead of the season. He’s ready to prove the Kentucky football doubters wrong.
“I hate the back talk. ‘Kentucky just can’t get over that 10-win season, can’t get over the hump.’ We’re going to try our hardest to show them this year,” he said.
One Last Ride for Walker?
KSR has long been operating under the assumption that 2024 will be our last ride with Deone Walker. He’s taking a similar approach. That’s not to say he’s already prepared to forego his eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft. Walker loves being in Lexington. He just wants to create his own personal sense of urgency to ensure he leaves everything out on the field this fall.
“I want to approach it as I’m trying to leave this year, because that’s going to have me leave it all out there, no matter what. That’s going to have me going 110% every play,” he said. “I feel like I’m going to always look at it as this is my last year, rather than, ‘It’s okay, we got two more,’ just dilly-dallying.”
He described himself as an “active wrecking ball” and that’s why most outlets believe he’ll be a top 10 pick. Walker isn’t paying too much mind to it. The only mock draft he’s seen was sent to him by his father.
Big Deone is a Big Brock Fan
Throughout the conversation about this Kentucky football team, Walker talked at length about leadership. That specifically applies to new Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff. Some think of leadership as being a motivational, rah-rah guy. In Brock’s case, the quarterback has quickly shown that he’s always prepared to lift up his teammates when they need it the most.
“Brock’s a gunslinger. He’s very poised in the pocket, that’s one thing I do like,” said Walker.
“He’s always happy. He’s going to uplift you no matter what. You can have a bad day and he’s going to come over to you and you’re going to be alright. If you have a bad practice, he’s going to try and make you laugh, try and make you get over it. That’s some great things we need out of our quarterback because as long as he’s happy, if he’s making everybody else happy around us, our team morale is going to stay up always.”
Former Kentucky Foe Makes a Move
Mike Wright was a thorn in Kentucky’s side during his time at Vanderbilt. The dual-threat quarterback served as a 1-2 punch with Ray Davis at Kroger Field to deliver a shocking upset in 2022. Like Davis, Wright decided to move on after picking up some big wins for Clark Lea to end the season. He transferred to Mississippi State where things unraveled under Zach Arnett.
Wright needed a change of scenery to end his career. He’s taking his talents to Big Ten country to play for Northwestern, the Vandy of the Big Ten.
Jason Kelce Apologizes for Accusing Secretariat of Taking Steroids
This is without a doubt the most bizarre thing I have seen on the internet today. Jason Kelce wrote a feature-length post on Twitter accusing Secretariat of taking steroids. The short version of the story: “Why did Secretariat have such a large heart? Steroids.”
Jason Kelce had no idea that he was stepping into a hornet’s nest. Imagine an offensive lineman going online and saying, “Michael Jordan was only good because he probably did steroids.” Horse racing fans were not having it. After taking plenty of flak, he apologized. This all unfolded about 24 hours after he said he was ready to go to the Infield for Kentucky Derby 151. I wonder if his mind has changed since then.
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