Varina LB Jailin Walker (Photo: Lance Hinton/recruit757)
Dukes land a commitment from Jailin Walker
by Byron Jones, recruit757
I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was the summer of 2002 and I was entering my freshman year at Rockbridge County High School in Lexington, Virginia. Current Dinwiddie Head Coach Billy Mills was then in his fourth season at the helm of a budding Wildcat program. Coach Mills held a meeting with prospective junior varsity players and parents in the auditorium one evening to go over typical season formalities of what’s expected from parents, coaches, players, etc.
Coach Mills wrapped up the meeting that evening by stating, “Folks, there are three types of people in this world. 1.Those who quit. 2. Those who make an excuse. 3. Those who find a way. What number do you want your child to be?”
Those words still resonate with me to this day. It got me through the remainder of my football career at Rockbridge once he left for Dinwiddie. It got me through college when I was broke and wondering if I even belonged at Hampden-Sydney. Even today in the business world and my personal, it helps me level up an conquer my goals. It’s that simple. Either you quit, make an excuse, or somehow someway you find a way to be successful. Point blank period.
Since I began writing for recruit804 three years ago, I hadn’t really come across an individual like Varina linebacker Jalin Walker (2021 6-1 200). Walker is the epitome of being a #3. Growing up in Creighton Court, the odds have always been stacked against him. Drug dealings, shootings, and chaos are par for the course in that neighborhood.
100% Committed ?
?@LaddsLenz pic.twitter.com/g8XxlP3uLT— Jailin Walker (@JailinWalker21) August 29, 2020
If that wasn’t enough on his plate, Walker had to deal with the death of his father a few weeks shy of the beginning of his junior season. Jailin had every excuse in the book to quit and make
an excuse for why his life looked the way it did but he refused to cave.
Jalin held zero offers heading into April of this year, but his commitment to himself and his future continued to carry him through. William and Mary was the first school to take a chance on him and then the floodgates opened. In total, 17 Division I programs offered him the opportunity to play for their school.
After narrowing his offer list to six earlier this month, Walker selected JMU as his future home. “It feels great and it relieves a lot of stress. JMU is a great academic school and also a great football team with a proven track record of success like Varina,” he explained.
He continued, “Coach Whitley believes I can make a great impact on defense with my toughness and speed.”
As a junior, Walker recorded 60 tackles (10 TFL), four sacks, three pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and an INT. On the offensive side of the ball, he toted the rock 30 times, racking up 350 yards and recorded seven touchdowns. Two of those rushing touchdowns came against Manchester in the Regional Final.
Jailin has every intention on playing this spring for the Blue Devils, stating “I’m playing high school football this spring. I need to rock that Blue Devil jersey one more time!”
– Byron Jones
