The West Virginia football program has landed a key piece in the secondary with a commitment from UT Chattanooga safety Jordan Walker.
Walker, 6-foot-0, 188-pounds, selected the Mountaineers over a number of other offers including Virginia Tech, Memphis, UAB, UTEP, Ball State, Appalachian State Connecticut, Western Kentucky and North Texas, among others. The Mountaineers coaching staff extended a scholarship offer Dec. 20 and were able to get him on campus for an official visit Jan. 2.
The Alabama native was able to meet with defensive coordinator Zac Alley who laid out the plan for him to play safety in the West Virginia defensive scheme.
“The plan they have for me really fits my skill set and I can see myself making an impact there,” Walker said.
Walker also took an official visit to Memphis.
Walker spent five seasons with the Mocs where he appeared in 37 games and recorded a total of 147 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 9 passes defended and 4 interceptions. He is coming off a season where he recorded 60 tackles, 7 pass breakups and 4 tackles for loss.
Walker has one season of eligibility remaining in his career.
WVSports.com breaks down the transfer of Walker and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
The data:
Walker brings 2,067 defensive snaps of experience with him to West Virginia over his time at UT Chattanooga and has played at least 749 snaps in each of the past two seasons.
In 2024, Walker played 749 defensive snaps and graded out at 76.7 according to Pro Football Focus and was graded at least 73.1 in each of the past three seasons.
Walker posted strong coverage grades over the past three years with a mark of at least 73.7 or above during that time. Over his career, he has been targeted 77 times and permitted just 47 receptions for 517 yards with only 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
A versatile safety, Walker has spent 939 snaps at free safety, 756 in the box and 348 in the slot. That makes him a defensive piece that the coaching staff can maneuver around in different spots.
The Mountaineers are bringing an experienced defensive back with a ton of experience and versatility which makes him an intriguing fit for a lot of different reasons.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia offered Walker early on and were able to get him to campus in order to get a complete understanding of the plans that the coaching staff has for him as well as how he could fit in at the school. Clearly that checked the boxes for him as Walker elected to commit after visiting other places.
With one year of eligibility remaining, Walker will step into a safety room that experienced plenty of turnover in the off-season with only one returning player with experience in Keke Tarnue.
The Mountaineers have been looking at a number of experienced options to help bolster the secondary and Walker brings a lot of experience and production with him to Morgantown.
Recruiting the position:
Even with the addition of Walker, West Virginia is expected to continue to be aggressive when it comes to finding the right fits in the defensive secondary. The Mountaineers have already played host to a number of options there and will be welcoming even more in the coming days and weeks. Expect that process to continue as the coaching staff looks to rebuild the safety room.
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