Former Spartan Walker Rated Among Top NFL RBs in 2023

The Michigan State Spartans' former Heisman contender had a season for the ages in 2021. In his second year as a Seattle Seahawk, he continued to shine.

The Mel Tucker era at Michigan State left a lot to be desired. It was a disaster with few highlights.

The best, however, came in 2021 -- in the form of a junior transfer from Wake Forest. Kenneth Walker III burst onto the scene like it was the A-gap in week one against Northwestern -- rushing for 264 yards and four touchdowns in a debut that kickstarted one of the most incredible single-season performances in Spartan history. It resembled Lorenzo White's 1985, Percy Snow's 1988, and the late Charles Rogers' 2002.

The rest is history: 12 games in the Green and White so dominant that Walker is near the top of any list when it comes to the pantheon of great Spartan backs like the White, as mentioned earlier, LeVeon Bell, Javon Ringer, and Clinton Jones.

After being selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round (pick No. 41) of the 2022 NFL Draft, Walker continues to impress.

Last season, Walker rushed for 900 yards on 219 rushing attempts. He had eight touchdowns, which tied him for eleventh place in the league. Despite posting fewer numbers than his rookie season of 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns, PFF gave Walker a grade of 83.5 -- an improvement from his 76.7 rookie grade. Walker was the sixth-best running back in the NFL last season.

In 2021, Walker rushed for 1,636 yards -- leading the Big Ten and finishing second in the FBS. He led all Power Five schools in rushing yards per game with 136.3. Walker's 18 rushing touchdowns are fourth all-time in school history. Per PFF, Walker led the FBS with 1,168 yards after contact. He ranked second with 89 missed forced tackles. He finished No. 1 in the Big Ten in all purpose yards with 1,725. Walker had eight 100 yard games and two 200 yard games. He became the fastest to reach 1,000 yards in Spartan history -- on 153 carries.

When it came to a signature performance, there was the game against rival Michigan -- when the Heisman became a real possibility for Walker. Against the No. 6 Wolverines, Walker ran for 197 yards and five touchdowns on 23 rushing attempts -- carrying the Spartans to a 37-33 victory at Spartan Stadium. For the performance, he would receive national player of the week recognition.

At season's end, Walker would become the first ever Spartan to win the Doak Walker Award as college football's best running back, the Walter Camp National Player of the Year award (considered second only to the Heisman), and earn unanimous first-team All-American honors. He would finish as a finalist for the Maxwell Award and sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. Walker was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press and would win the Big Ten's Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year Award.

It is still too early to determine whether or not Walker's success in the NFL will match what he did at Michigan State, but he is off to a good start, and his time in East Lansing will always matter most to Spartan faithful.

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