Out of all the returning safeties in the Southeastern Conference, one publication says that Tennessee is bringing back the top player in that category.
In a post sent out on Twitter Thursday morning, Pro Football Focus listed out their highest-graded returning safeties in the SEC. With a grade of 77.5, Tennessee safety Wesley Walker comes in at the top of the PFF rankings.
After spending his first three years at Georgia Tech, Walker transferred to Tennessee during the 2022 offseason and would go on to play in all 13 games with the Vols last year. With Tamarion McDonald at the STAR position and the duo of Jaylen McCollough and Trevon Flowers at the safety spots, Walker was often used as a versatile rotational piece that could go at either position. Walker made his first start at safety against Vanderbilt and then again in the Orange Bowl against Clemson.
The first interception of Walker’s career at Tennessee came during the Clemson game, too.
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Walker finished the 2022 season with the 11th-most tackles for UT (36) and the fifth-most tackles for loss (5.5). As mentioned previously, though, his versatility was extremely impactful. Walker’s veteran presence allowed him to fit in with the Tennessee secondary and provide quality reps throughout several situations during the season.
The offseason departure of Flowers will give Walker a much more significant role this coming year.
“We have had a competition open,” Tennessee DB coach Willie Martinez said about the defensive back’s room this past April. “We don’t have a first group. We don’t have a second group. That includes everybody. Whether it’s Tamarion McDonald, Jaylen McCollough or Wesley Walker, they all are competing. We have kind of been moving everybody around to give them an opportunity. We want the competition. We have to be better. We have said that from the get-go here.”
Walker had six tackles during the Tennessee Football Orange & White Game to wrap up the spring slate in April.
“Last year, I was still learning on the fly,” Walker said to the media after the spring game. “This year going through the spring, I feel way more comfortable. I communicate a lot more because I know what I am doing and know what other people are doing. It’s going smoothly.”
Highest graded returning SEC Safeties🔥 pic.twitter.com/18BQhFQtWO
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 29, 2023
