Jalon Walker flew around the right tackle on third down.
As Florida quarterback Graham Mertz looked to throw, Walker extended his left arm. He knocked the ball out of Mertz's grasp, forcing a fumble. Florida recovered, but Walker's play put an end to the Gators' drive and allowed Georgia to get the ball back for a possession that ended in a touchdown.
Walker has one of the most unique skillsets of any Georgia defender. Now in his second season in Athens, the North Carolina native is continuing to get better each day.
"You're starting to see some of the things we see in practice," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. "He has some physical tools and traits that we've seen and maybe he hasn't gotten to showcase in a game for whatever reason, and he's getting better. He's explosive, twitchy, can bend, has really good pass-rush ability, but he also has the luxury of playing inside backer where he can stack off the ball and do things to help our defense be multiple."
The Bulldogs work Walker at both inside and outside linebacker. Smart said that's exactly the vision they sold him on during his recruitment.
"A lot of kids don’t play high school inside backer," Smart said. "Their coaches put them on the edge so they can defend the grass or they put them at the edge so they can run and set edges. They don’t get to play inside backer because there’s probably another kid on their team that can play that. His skillset has grown because he’s very natural on the edge as a rusher, his get-off. He has some of the best pass rush moves in our group. He needs to be able to play all downs, so he’s continuing to work at inside backer."
Walker's versatility has allowed him to carve out a role in Georgia's third-down package. He enters the game and rushes the quarterback off the edge, doing what he did during his high school days.
His athleticism is beneficial not just to him, but to his teammates as well.
"It’s opened things up for the other guys like myself," defensive end Mykel Williams said. "Having Jalon outside of me, it doesn’t let the guard and tackle double team me. Now they have to focus on both of us. It creates one-on-ones and allows us to win. Having Jalon helps a lot."
That kind of mark on the game starts in practice.
Smart pointed out that Walker took every rep of last Friday's walkthrough working on his pass-rush moves. He then utilized the same move to get his sack against the Gators.
"I feel like getting attention to detail is just very valuable," Walker said. "Your little walkthrough reps, you emulate those reps and those can come through a game rep. I’d been practicing that move all week, I practiced different moves all week long. You never know when it’s going to hit. That certain moment, it was very successful."
The next step is for Walker to continue growing into an every-down linebacker. He noted he's focused on improving aspects such as coverage skills and keying the run as part of his inside linebacker training. Walker also said he's learning every day from veterans such as Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon.
As performances like the Florida game mount, Walker's confidence and role on the field will continue to grow in unison.
"Last year, having the chance to play as a freshman built my confidence up," Walker said. "Now coming from that confidence, coming into my sophomore year, it’s very beneficial for me to know what the game is like, how fast the game’s going to move, and know what to expect."
