Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 1 | August 2018

16 Inside Hokie Sports check out hokiegear.com want to be anywhere else.” He picked Tech even though his older brother, Rijo Walker, played at UVA. The latter earned letters all four seasons while playing at the free safety spot for the Cavaliers, and he also received both his undergraduate andmaster’s degrees from the school. Their younger brother, Mondo, chose sports and service back in February, signing a letter of intent to play football for Army-West Point. Needless to say, they are all products of darn fine parenting. “I think that’s why I’m the person I am today,” Walker said. “I had a great childhood. All my family is close. It started with the holidays and going to Pittsburgh … and just seeing that family unite and just how close they are. Then seeing my cousins and my brothers, and everything came together the older I got. “Once I got into the ninth grade, I realized family was important, just taking care of my younger brother, and my older brother, he set the bar for me. Once he left, I was the man of the house, taking care of my mom and my younger brother. So I’m just very grateful for how I was raised.” Walker dreams of getting a shot in the NFL, but there are more pressing matters at hand—like guiding the Hokies into this 2018 season and hopefully leading them to a Coastal Division crown. If the Hokies win it, they no doubt will have gotten a productive season with Walker and no doubt will have followed his blue-collar approach, one befitting of this university. With wins and stellar play comes attention—the kind that Walker shuns, but accepts. Such is the by-product of the great leadership displayed over his career. For sure, Hokie Nation salutes him for it. WALKER Role NOT SHYING AWAY FROM Leadership Continued from page 15 • Sack of UVA’s Kurt Benkert (Nov. 24, 2018)— The Hokies led 10-0 in the fourth quarter against the Cavaliers, and Tech’s defense, led by Walker, kept the Cavaliers scoreless. Walker’s big evening included a fourth-quarter sack of Kurt Benkert, one of four by the Hokies on the evening. • Fumble recovery for a touchdown vs. UNC (Oct. 21, 2018)— Tech expected a competitive game against the Tar Heels, but Walker started a scoring onslaught, returning a fumble 12 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter that propelled the Hokies to a 59-7 win. Reggie Floyd’s interception for a score later in the game enabled Tech’s defense to score two touchdowns in a game for the fifth time since 2000. • Sack of Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph (Dec. 28, 2018)— Walker closed his junior season by recording a sack of Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph in the Camping World Bowl. The Pittsburgh Steelers later took Rudolph in the third round of the NFL Draft. • Sack of Miami’s Brad Kaaya (Oct. 20, 2016)— Tech dominated Miami on a Thursday night at Lane Stadium, with Walker recording one of the defense’s eight sacks of Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya. Walker finished with three tackles on an evening when the Hokies held Miami to just 16 points and 365 yards. • Sack of Duke’s Daniel Jones (Nov. 5, 2016)— Walker recorded a sack of Blue Devils’ quarterback Daniel Jones in the third quarter of a hard- fought Tech win over Duke in Durham, North Carolina. Walker’s sack was one of three for the Hokies, who held Duke to 375 yards. BIG PLAYS BY R icky Walker