Dallas Walker IV feels like this season is his last chance.
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It’s his last chance to boost his NFL stock, as the Tigers’ returning noseguard enters his final year of college football. He carries that motivation with him in every snap of fall camp.
“I really believe that this is my last shot,” Walker said. “I’m ready to give everything I got. I just want to go out there and ball out for my brothers.”
The NCAA granted Walker an additional year of eligibility back in January, allowing him to return for a second season with Auburn. Entering his second fall camp with the Tigers, Walker is down 30 pounds — allowing him to move quicker on the defensive line.
“Last year, I didn’t really feel bad when I was heavy, but I could definitely tell there was more of a push to get moving,” Walker said. “Now, I feel a little more like I can do little things like stick that foot, turn left and go side to side, so I feel a lot better.”
Walker spent time in the rotation at noseguard last season, but primarily played behind eventual sixth-round NFL Draft pick Bobby Jamison-Travis. His additional year of eligibility gives him an opportunity to step up, which is exactly the message delivered by defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams.
“We’ve had this conversation, ‘Dude, you’ve been here,” King-Williams said. “You know what the standard is to play on this defensive line. You maybe didn’t start last year, but you know what it’s supposed to be. This is your room. Take hold of it and make it be what you want it to be.’ And I think he’s done that.”
He’s done it by losing weight, taking over the reins at noseguard and becoming the leader of the interior defensive line.
“I love trying to bring the young guys up to the standard,” Walker said. “I feel like they’re responding to it very well. I love them trying to hold me accountable as well. It’s real. We talk to each other, we can say anything to each other. It’s not really just me trying to overly be a leader, it’s more of like letting them know that I’m in this with them. They can count on me and we can just count on each other.”
Auburn begins its season Sept. 5, facing Baylor in Atlanta.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
