Heading into the new season, Missouri will return a ton of talent on both sides of the football. Despite the offense receiving far more national media attention this offseason, there are still key players coming back on defense, including the one who helped secure Missouri's victory in the 2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
Johnny Walker, Jr. capped off an incredible campaign by winning the 2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Defensive MVP award. On Tuesday, it was announced that he had been named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watchlist.
Johnny Walker Jr. named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watchlist‼️
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) July 30, 2024
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football defensive player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) to be the best… pic.twitter.com/26ZTWVa5xw
How did Walker get to this point?
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound defensive end was not heavily recruited coming out of high school. Walker was rated as a three-star weak-side defensive end from Tampa, Florida. Despite a dominant high school career in which he accumulated 227 tackles, many thought his size could be an issue.
After committing to Missouri, Walker redshirted his freshman year. As a redshirt freshman the following year, he recorded only nine tackles. His future with the program seemed bleak, and when things didn't improve during his sophomore year, it appeared that many were begining to give up on him.
Nobody expected the transformation Walker underwent from 2022 to 2023, but he worked tirelessly, putting himself in a position to succeed. Last season, he played a major role in the resurgence of Mizzou's football program. Walker started 12-of-13 games for the Tigers, recording 43 tackles and adding five sacks.
#Mizzou DE Johnny Walker Jr. named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list (awarded to the best defensive player in college football).
— Nathalie Jones (@NathalieABC17) July 30, 2024
The man is poised to be an impact player on this defense once again, after working alongside first-round draft pick Darius Robinson ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/mViHc8knfV
Walker was one of the 75 players added to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watchlist, which honors some of the best defensive players in the country. This trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 and is voted on each season by the Football Writers Association of America.
It will be exciting to watch Walker's growth this offseason after the leap he made heading into 2023. He is poised to continue improving with time, and thanks to his redshirt season, he still has two years of eligibility remaining if he chooses to stay at Mizzou.