Georgia Football Recruiting: 2019 Prospect DL Travon Walker
Georgia Football is going to be recruiting the best players in the country for the 2019 class. Travon Walker is a defensive lineman who could make a big impact should he come to Athens.
Who said there was such as thing as a ‘lull’ in recruiting. Yes UGA just landed the best class in their history but recruiting never stops. Not for this Georgia Football team and certainly not for Kirby Smart. With G-Day on the horizon, we’re going to start a quick little series about some of the potential 2019 recruits that Dawg fans could be cheering for one day.
2018 was a poor year for defensive tackles. Georgia was never really in the running for any of the top ones in the class although they did end up signing three DT’s. With several seniors and some top juniors, UGA is going to need to load up at that position this year. Because of that, their top overall target for this class could well by Travon Walker. Walker is an athletic freak who could end up being one of the very best players in the entire 2019 class.
Looking at the tape:
Athletes like Walker are pretty rare. This is a kid who stands at over 6-5 if recent reports are to be believed. He’s carrying about 260lbs right now, but he has the frame to get up to between 280lbs and 300lbs. That sort of size should mean that he could end up playing defensive end of DT in Kirby Smart’s system.
What really separates Walker from most defensive line players is his explosiveness. I used the word freak earlier. That’s something that gets thrown around a lot when it comes to prospects. But Walker truly earns the label because he is incredibly explosive. I mean when you put the film on, the guy blows past offensive linemen before some of them have even set their feet.
Right now, Walker remains pretty raw. He has all the potential you could want from a player in his position, but he needs some time to reach that. This is a guy who could end up playing defensive tackle in college and is currently performing massive dunks in high school. You can’t teach that sort of athleticism and it’s the reason he’s such an important target for Kirby Smart.
Could we see him in Athens?
Kirby Smart has made Walker a huge priority. He’s been focusing on his recruitment for some time and has put in plenty of personal time with him. That’s a good thing because with a guy this talented, everyone is going to come after him.
Getting in early with Walker should hopefully be a good thing for Georgia. As the home state school, this is a player Smart has to get. The state has produced 2 5-star defensive tackles since 2016 and UGA have missed on both. Aubrey Solomon and Derrick Brown are making big impacts at other schools. Smart can’t allow Walker to do the same.
I think the fact that UGA has been focused on Walker for so long should pay off in the end. They will have a need there for him and they have shown that they will rotate in freshmen if they are good enough.
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He’s going to be one heck of a player no matter what. Walker would be the most talented player that Tray Scott has had the opportunity to coach since he arrived in Athens. Based on the improvement we saw last season, I expect him to make a big impact on Walker should he choose UGA. Let’s just hope that ends up happening.