Two Kentucky Wildcats On Way-Too-Early All-American Watch

Almost every year at least one Mark Stoops player receives All-American honors. This year Ray Davis received praise from Sports Illustrated, following in the steps of Lynn Bowden, Darian Kinnard, Max Duffy, and Josh Allen, among others. Who’s next? Kentucky has a few candidates in 2024.

ESPN’s Chris Low combed through the college football ranks to piece together a roster of potential All-Americans. While the Wildcats did not appear on the first team, second team All-American isn’t a bad spot to be in more than eight months away from the start of the season.

Deone Walker and Barion Brown made the cut for ESPN’s Way-Too-Early All-American Team. Brown is slotted in as a returner behind USC’s dynamic playmaker Zachariah Branch. After another outstanding sophomore season, Walker is behind Michigan’s Mason Graham, who might have been the Wolverines’ most disruptive defender during the CBS Playoffs.

Both players actually earned some All-American honors following the 2023 season. They each appeared on College Football Network’s All-American Third Team. Brown received arguably the most prestigious postseason honor as a First Team All-American selection by the Sporting News, one of four outlets used to determine consensus status.

Brown was the best kick returner in college football in 2023. He led the nation in average yards per return (36.0) and took three kickoffs to the house for touchdowns. Brown set a Kentucky single-season record and now holds the career record with four return touchdowns in two seasons.

While Brown was making places in space, Deone Walker was eating up sack lunches in the trenches. A starter in 23 straight games, Deone’s 51 tackles were the most by a UK interior defensive lineman since 2015. He led the team in tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (5.5) earning First Team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press.

Deone Walker will be getting serious NFL Draft Buzz Next Year

Walker will be one of the most talked about players leading into the 2025 NFL Draft. No, it’s not too early for 2025 mock drafts. They’re already available on the World Wide Web and the folks at Pro Football Network have Deone Walker as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

In the modern draft era, only two Kentucky Wildcats have been taken with the top five picks, Tim Couch and Dewayne Robertson. Deone Walker could be the third thanks to his size, production, and most importantly, his motor. There have been other big, athletic defensive linemen, but few play as many snaps at such a high level. 2024 will be an enormous fall for the future of this exceptional Kentucky Wildcat.