The second in a series profiling the newcomers on the 2016 Arkansas Razorbacks football team.
Demetrius "Dee" Walker's love of speed is not limited to what he can do on the football field.
"My ultimate car, right now, is the Dodge [Challenger] Hellcat," said Walker, a 6-2, 210-pound outside linebacker from Moultrie, Ga. "It has a lot of horsepower."
Dee Walker at a glance
CLASS Freshman
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-2, 215 pounds
POSITION Outside linebacker
HOMETOWN Moultrie, Ga.
HIGH SCHOOL Colquitt County
NOTEWORTHY Played on a high school team that won back-to-back state championships and 30 consecutive games.... Was in on 96 tackles as a senior, 60 of which were solo tackles and nine of which were tackles for loss. He made five sacks and was credited with eight hurries. ... As a junior, he was in on 89 tackles, 59 of which were solo tackles. He had seven sacks as a junior and was credited with nine hurries. ... Walker joins former high school teammate J.T. Smith at Arkansas. ... He also was recruited by Indiana and Kentucky.
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While Walker admits he will not drive a muscle car during his freshman year, he said he will bring his own brand of quickness and power to the University of Arkansas this fall.
"Speed is my best asset, and I like to think of myself as a speed demon," said Walker, who runs a 4.5-second 40-yard dash. "I may not get to the quarterback all the time, but I'll do my best to make them hurry. I don't want them to get comfortable with their offense."
"His speed is good," Colquitt County (Ga.) Coach Rush Propst said. "But his explosiveness and physicality is what I've been impressed with the most. He is very versatile. He can play some safety. He can play the outside linebacker. He can be an inside linebacker. He can rush the quarterback, and because of his length, he can drop back in coverage. He can fit into several areas."
Walker racked up 96 tackles (60 solo, 36 assisted) in 15 games last season for unbeaten Colquitt County, which won a state championship in Georgia's largest classification for the second consecutive year. He also collected 5 sacks for a combined 37 lost yards and was responsible for 8 hurried passes.
Propst said Walker started out as an outside linebacker, but he moved to inside linebacker as the season progressed.
"He was a tone-setter for us," Propst said. "He was always an aggressive kid, but he grew into that role and became better at it."
Walker has gotten used to winning. His high school team outscored its opponents 700-274, and no team played the Packers closer than eight points. Colquitt County defeated Roswell, Ga., 30-13 in the state championship game. The Packers averaged 48.2 points a game during their five-game playoff run.
"It's almost unbelievable the way we won as many games in a row as we did," Walker said. "But we played with a lot of confidence. I want to continue that. I want to help bring a national title to Arkansas."
Walker is the second defensive player from Colquitt County to sign with the Razorbacks in the past two years. T.J. Smith, who played with Walker on Colquitt County's 2014 championship team, will be reunited with his former teammate this fall. Walker and Smith combined for 137 tackles and 11 sacks in 2014.
"I've talked with T.J. a lot in the last year," Walker said. "T.J. has been trying to convince me to come to Arkansas, but he isn't the reason why I'm coming."
Walker said visiting the campus made his choice a lot easier.
"I enjoyed my first trip there, and by the time I made my second visit, I knew I was ready to commit," said Walker, who said he plans to major in business. "There was no doubt in my mind where I wanted to go."
Now that he has determined his college and his field of study, Walker said he can spend a little more time on his passions.
"I like football and cars," Walker said. "They've kept me out of trouble."
Sports on 07/01/2016