Jalon Walker joined an elite group of linebackers on Wednesday to win the prestigious Butkus Award, given to the best linebacker in the country.

He is the third player from Georgia to receive this award, joining Roquan Smith in 2017 and Nakobe Dean in 2021.

“He is simply a boy of strong character with high moral values ​​and a great family. “I mean, you think back on all the successes you’ve had in recruiting and how you really don’t know how important they are,” head coach said Kirby Smart said earlier this year. “I think back to when he called us and told us he was coming, what that changed his life and what it changed for us.”

Smart’s appreciation was reciprocated.

“His father reached out and said, ‘You guys did everything you said you were going to do with my son, and I really appreciate you making him a better man,'” said Smart, who praised Walker’s virtues praised at every opportunity.

It’s easy to see why

Through 13 games, Walker is fourth on the team with 57 tackles. He recorded 10 tackles for loss, including 6.5 sacks, tying Chaz Chambliss for the team lead.

Walker received the Butkus Award despite not earning first-team honors on the SEC Coaches All-Conference Team. The Associated Press named Walker a first-team defenseman on Wednesday.

Games like the one he played in October in Austin, Texas, after he recorded three sacks in the team’s 30-15 win, helped him.

“I really try to have as much energy as I want before the game. But I didn’t want to get too high or too low,” Walker said. “I really wanted to stay balanced for the game. Really, our composure throughout the game, we just wanted to stay balanced. We really didn’t want to emphasize the moments too much. We didn’t really want to sink too low when we had our low points.”

Walker also finished with a team-high eight tackles. It could have been more. Walker was also credited with four quarterback hurries, half of his team’s total on the night.

“Statistically speaking, maybe (was his best game). Definitely maybe,” Walker said. “But I felt like I had a lot more to contribute, like I slipped up. But it was a great win. That’s all I can say.”