Oklahoma linebacker Brynden Walker medically retires from football
Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Brynden Walker has missed a considerable amount of time over the past couple of seasons due to injuries. On Sunday, Walker announced that he will be retiring from the game of football as a player.
“I’ve poured my entire heart and soul into being the best student in the classroom and the best player on the field to the best of my abilities,” Walker said. “I want to thank the University of Oklahoma for giving me the opportunity to live out my childhood dream of playing college football, but more importantly, providing me with an amazing education. For the last 16 years of my life, I’ve worked hard to be in the position I’m in today, but with a heavy heart I’ve decided that it’s best for me and my long-term health to walk away from the sport I love so much.
“To whom it concerns, I’ve battled with issues in my back that have caused me to miss a considerable amount of time over the past 2 years. My time as an Oklahoma Sooner has been filled with nothing but amazing memories and I’ve been blessed to have cultivated relationships that’ll last me a lifetime.”
In his announcement, Walker also revealed that he will be staying on Oklahoma’s coaching staff as a defensive assistant.
“Although it’s cliché, when one door closes, another door opens,” said Walker. “I want to thank Coach Venables and Coach Chavo for bringing me on staff to help bring another national championship to Oklahoma as a defensive assistant.
“In this next chapter of life, my aspirations of possibly going to the NFL have come to an end, but I’ll still continue to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor one day.”
Walker came to Oklahoma as a three-star recruit and the No. 68-rated linebacker in the 2020 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
As a freshman in 2020, Walker totaled six tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. He saw limited action last season due to injuries, and totaled two tackles.
As he transitions to being on the field to on the sidelines for Oklahoma, Walker made sure to give one last shoutout to Sooner Nation while hanging up his cleats.
“Last but not least, thank you Sooner Nation for taking care of me these last couple years,” he said. “I’ll miss playing in front of all 86,000 of you guys!
“Boomer Sooner!”