UCF defensive tackle John Walker shared a photo of himself wearing a knee brace on his Instagram story Wednesday afternoon, raising concerns that the injury could be serious.
Walker, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound sophomore from Kissimmee, added the caption “Blessed” with a prayer emoji.
A UCF Athletics spokesman told the News-Journal that Knights coach Gus Malzahn will address the situation during his press conference on Monday.
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Walker was named to On3 Sports’ 2023 True Freshman All-American Team. He played in all 13 games and recorded 24 tackles, five tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries. He made his first collegiate appearance in the Knights’ road loss to Kansas last October.
Lee Hunter and Ricky Barber are expected to start at defensive interior for UCF, with Walker and Matthew Alexander providing crucial depth and experience at the position. Walker played 363 snaps in his debut season for the Knights, according to Pro Football Focus – good for 13th among the team’s defensive players.
Walker is UCF’s highest-ranked recruit in the modern recruiting era and is considered one of the top 100 national prospects according to 247Sports’ overall ratings, choosing the Knights over Florida, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State and others.
