Kirby Smart reveals dynamic change he's seen in Quay Walker

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart revealed the change linebacker Quay Walker underwent in his time at Georgia that’s led to the senior contributing in a major way to one of the top defensive units in the country.

“Quay’s come a long way,” Smart told media on Tuesday. “I was kidding Quay today at walk-throughs that he used to get so frustrated when he didn’t know something and there were so many words and nuggets in our defense and he would get so mad. I think he thought at times he would never learn it. He got frustrated, he struggled academically early, and there were times that he was like ‘I don’t want to go to college, I’m tired of it, I’m frustrated, I’m not playing, I was highly rated coming out,’ but man has he made a turn. Some time at the beginning of last year, really the spring before last year, I know we didn’t have spring ball, but he just made a leadership turn.”

Smart continued.

“He committed to being excellent and do what he’s supposed to on the field and on the field he’s became much more of a student of the game and he hols people accountable now,” he said. “It’s pretty awesome to see how far he’s come and I love watching players grow like that because I got to sit in his house for a long time and now getting to see him like he’s a different person.”

Now in his fourth season at Georgia, Quay Walker has emerged as a leader for the Bulldogs. Last season, Walker played extensively in 10 games, starting two. So far through the 2021 season, Walker has started every game, helping Georgia to a 3-0 record to start the year.

In three games this season, Walker has recorded four tackles, one fumble recovery and five quarterback pressures.

In his last three seasons, Quay Walker has accounted for 72 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 37 appearances. Walker was Georgia’s fourth-leading tackler in 2020, despite starting just two games.

Coming out of high school, Quay Walker was a four-star prospect, and one of the top outside linebackers in the nation, in the 2018 recruiting class. As a senior at Crisp County (GA.), Walker had 76 total tackles, ten tackles for loss, and five pass deflections. Offensively, he caught 13 passes for 201 yards and five touchdowns as a receiver. Walker helped lead Crisp County to a 9-2 record and the second round of the GHSA Class 3A state playoffs.

Georgia will face Vanderbilt on Saturday at 11:00 AM CST.