As the emotions continue to rise with football season getting closer, the spotlight on star players is beginning to get brighter with each day that passes.
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It is a time where what coaches have talked about through preseason camp will be proven or disproven. However, each player has a lot to showcase.
Auburn Undercover’s list of the top 20 potential impact players for the Auburn Tigers is continuing back on the defensive side of the football as the staff’s list keeps moving closer to the No. 1 spot.
As a disclaimer, the poll was tabulated by rankings sent in from four people on the Auburn Undercover staff—Tyler Raley, Ryan Bartow, Caleb Jones and Jay Douglas. The rankings each person sent in were averaged, with the lowest score going at the top of the list.
At No. 9 stands a veteran that, while he has only spent one season on the Plains, is being talked of as one of the big leaders on the defensive line. Dallas Walker IV is seeking to make an impact in any way that he can.
General information:
Year: Senior
Position: Defensive lineman
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 345 pounds
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Performance in 2025:
Walker made an impact on the Tigers defensive line during his first season with the program, though he did not start in any of the 12 games that the team played.
Coming off of a year where he made a big impact for Western Kentucky, the 2025 campaign was a downgrade. However, it set him up in a good place for 2026.
Walker recorded just 13 total tackles last season to go along with one forced fumble, which came in a road loss at Vanderbilt. He only had four games where he put up multiple tackles, those being against the Commodores, South Alabama, Arkansas and Alabama.
His impact did not register up high in the rankings of tacklers that Auburn had during the 2025 slate, as he had the same amount of tackles as Champ Anthony and De’Marcus Riddick.
With him being in a more defined and prominent role though heading into 2026, the production should increase drastically as time goes on.
Preseason camp intel:
The final year of college football for Walker has brought along many emotions, but most notably the pressure of 2026 being his final chance to write his signature.
Walker is down 30 pounds from where he was a year ago. Now at the noseguard position, he is able to be a little more nimble and quicker off his feet, something he did not feel great about last year.
Now being at the forefront of the defensive interior and being the one guys look up to, Walker has an opportunity to create a statement on the field with guys like Buddy Mathis Jr., Jared Smith, Chris Murray and more.
Defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams has reminded him of the potential he has, and that he needs to go make this year his own.
“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 is learning to lead now, and as the new season gets underway, the first half of the season will say a lot about where he can go from an NFL Draft stock perspective.
Walker has been seen taking a large number of reps throughout the entirety of preseason camp and was a mainstay on the first team rotation during scrimmages.
While the depth chart has not yet been released for the first week, it is expected that Walker will be atop that list on the interior.
Impacting Auburn ranking
No. 9 - Dallas Walker IV
No. 10 - Stanton Ramil
No. 11 - Jeremiah Koger
No. 12 - Da’Shawn Womack
No. 13 - Rayshawn Pleasant
No. 14 - Alex McPherson
No. 15 - Cole Best
No. 16 - Eric Winters
No. 17 - AnQuon Fegans
No. 18 - Omar Mabson II
No. 19 - Jake Johnson
No. 20 - Sylvester Smith-Reed
What do you say? Leave your thoughts on our board below.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
