After three years of essentially serving as a backup for Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy, senior D’Andre Walker will get an opportunity to shine at outside linebacker this fall for the Georgia Bulldogs.

He’s ready to give it his all.

“I think I can play every down, but at the end of the day, that’s up to Coach (Kirby) Smart,” Walker said in an interview during spring practice. “I’m going to do what the boss man tells me.”

Although he’s yet to make a start, Walker’s already made a sizeable impact for the Bulldogs his previous three years on the team.

He first garnered attention on special teams, where he earned the reputation for being one of Georgia’s top cover men, before finally making the most of last season’s opportunity backing up Bellamy and Carter.

“Last year, I’d say I was probably in 40-50 percent of the plays,” said Walker, who smiled when asked if playing full time meant his numbers would increase.

“I just really look forward to this upcoming season and setting my goals off of that,” Walker said. “Again, whatever Coach Smart wants me to do.”

No doubt Smart has plenty in mind.

As we continue our series we’ve entitled “Opportunity Knocking,” we take a look at Walker and what we expect him to bring to Georgia’s defense this fall.

Although fans will likely focus on sack totals, Bulldog coaches want Walker to account for more than just that.

Sure, getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks is going to be part of the deal, but for Walker to be the kind of well-rounded outside linebacker that it’s believed he can be, the ability to set the edge and put himself in position to make plays on cutback runs by opposing runners also needs to be a part of his game.

Walker has worked extremely hard to put himself in the position he’s in.

When he first arrived in Athens four years ago, he weighed only 215 pounds. During an interview in late March, he said was up to 250.

Last fall, Walker’s numbers were impressive, despite taking around half of the defense’s reps.

Of his 40 tackles, 13.5 resulted in losses of 65 yards, including 5.5 sacks and 12 quarterback pressures.

So, with Bellamy and Carter gone, what else does that mean for Walker come fall?

“I guess you can say emerging into a new leader, and just becoming one those guys my coaches can depend on every down,” Walker said. “I’m just proud and happy that I finally get a chance to show my talents.”

Walker won’t be expected to carry the outside linebacker position for the Bulldogs, but he’ll certainly be asked and expected to do his part.

We’ve certainly seen plenty of examples to have every confidence that the former Langston Hughes standout will be able to step in and do a more than capable job.

Although we won’t make any specific predictions as far as sacks are concerned, the fact Walker registered 5.5 sacks playing around 40 percent of the snaps on defense, leads one to believe he should finish somewhere in the 7 or 8 range.

While there are always a few questions whenever you’re talking about anyone starting for the first time, we certainly think that Walker – based largely on his experience – will be a very productive player for the Bulldogs this fall.