Former Wake Forest Running Back Wins Super Bowl MVP
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On Sunday night, the vast majority of the American population likely had their TVs tuned in to NBC for the Super Bowl. Millions tuned in, whether you were rooting for the Seahawks or Patriots, or were indulging in some buffalo chicken dip or chicken wings, or were just there to watch the halftime show.
I am sure what you did not expect was to hear about a Wake Forest connection to this year's big game. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III spent two seasons at Wake Forest before transferring to Michigan State and going to the NFL Draft. Last night, he had a stellar game for the Seahawks and was named Super Bowl MVP. Let's take you back through some of his highlights as a Demon Deacon.
Walker played at Wake Forest from 2019 to 2020. In his freshman season, he played in all 13 games of the season. He finished second on the team in total rushing yards with 579. His average yards-per-carry was up to 5.9, a very promising number.
He was able to end the season as the number three freshman rusher in the entire ACC. The records did not stop there, though. Walker set a school record with a 96-yard scoring run in a game against Rice. This also was the longest run by an ACC play in the entire 2019 season.
The question going into his sophomore year was how Walker would back up a great freshman season. The answer was that he just continued to outperform expectations. Now, the 2020 season was an abnormal one due to COVID, but that didn't stop Walker from overperforming.
In eight games, he had the exact amount of rushing yards as he did in 13 games as a freshman, at 579. He also tallied a phenomenal 13 rushing touchdowns in these eight games played. Heading into week 11 of the season, he ranked third in the entire country with those 13 rushing touchdowns. He averaged 72.4 rushing yards per game to lead the Demon Deacon backfield.
After two great seasons with the Deacs, Walker headed to Michigan State, where he had a breakout season and was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.
Last night, Walker was the engine that propelled the Seahawks' offense. He finished with 135 yards rushing in 27 carries to go along with 26 receiving yards. He helped lead Seattle to a 29-13 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots, and he is now a Super Bowl champion. Congratulations to Kenneth Walker III on a great game and great season!
What's Next for the Demon Deacons Football
Spring Camp will be here before we know it. After that, the 2026 season will be here in less than seven months. The Deacs open up the season on Thursday, September 3, against the Akron Zips at Allegacy Stadium in Winston-Salem.
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Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.