DJ Walker wasn’t fazed when Ohio needed him to step into a bigger role early last season.
The added pressure came after graduate defensive back and defensive leader Jeremiah Wood tore his ACL during the Bobcats’ season-opener against Syracuse.
Despite being a redshirt freshman, Walker knew he was prepared for the opportunity.
“I had a good spring and (Ohio defensive coordinator John Hauser) told me he was going to find a way for me to play,” Walker told HERO Sports. “So I knew going into camp, when I had my opportunities, to go out there and play and treat it like I was a starter even though I wasn’t getting first (team) reps.
“Honestly, my mindset was already locked in to being ready to play that first game against Syracuse. There were some nerves, but I felt like I was ready.”
Walker, who hails from Aliquippa in western Pennsylvania, became an integral part of Ohio’s defense by starting the rest of the season and playing both nickelback and safety. He finished fifth on the roster with 53 total tackles and added seven tackles for loss. His seven pass breakups were second on the team, and he also snagged an interception. His play earned him All-MAC second-team honors. There’s no question he had one of the biggest breakout seasons in the league.
Those 53 tackles matched the total that Walker’s brother, Larry Walker Jr., had during his junior campaign for UAlbany. The elder Walker was a standout for the FCS program and earned first-team All-CAA honors during his senior season in 2023.
Like DJ, Larry also played defensive back. The younger Walker said watching his brother evolve helped set the foundation for his college career.
“I learned a lot (from Larry), especially with him playing college before me and both of us playing safety,” Walker said. “Just watching him and the things he’d do throughout his career set the blueprint for me and helped me out to be who I am now and what’s coming in the future.”
But there are certain things that can only be learned firsthand throughout the course of a season. One of the biggest was Walker quickly realizing the mental grind that comes with playing at the FBS level.
“You really just need to lock in on the game — really be tuned in mentally and physically,” said the 6-foot-1, 186-pound redshirt sophomore. “You really have to think out there, and you really have to know what you’re doing. The more you know out there, the easier the game is. I felt like as the weeks went on, the game got slower for me.”
That seemed to be the theme for Ohio as a whole. As the season progressed, the Bobcats improved. Following their Week 8 loss to Miami (Ohio), they didn’t lose again for the rest of the season. And — outside of their three-point win over Jacksonville State in the Cure Bowl — the closest outcome was a 17-point win at Toledo in the second-to-last game of the regular season.
Ohio went on to avenge that loss to Miami with a 38-3 win over the RedHawks in the MAC title game. It was the Bobcats’ first conference title since 1968. However, a coaching change came shortly after with former head coach Tim Albin taking the job at Charlotte.
Former offensive coordinator Brian Smith was then hired to lead the program after spending the previous three seasons on the Bobcats’ coaching staff, including the last two as associate head coach. The coaching shakeup hasn’t had an impact on Walker, though. He knew he wanted to remain in Athens once Smith took the job.
“I pretty much knew if there was going to be a coach from inside (the program taking the head coaching job) I was going to stay because I really like it here,” said Walker, whose hometown is about a three-hour drive from Athens. “I’m still young. I don’t think about the transfer portal. I just think about being with my team and doing what I need to do.”
Along with the other returning players, Walker has become familiar with what he needs to do to compete for a conference title. He emphasized there were a handful of potential big plays he left on the field last year, and he’s hoping to make more of those plays this fall.
Still, he understands it’s a process and those plays and continued success will come as long as he, as well as the rest of the Bobcats, continue doing the little things right.
“I can’t wait to get out there. (There are) a lot of big games, a lot of plays to be made. It’s just taking it day by day, getting better every day,” he said. “If we keep doing that — getting better and stacking days — then it’ll be back-to-back (MAC titles) for sure.”
