Sky’s the limit: Red Tornadoes’ star Walker already boasts four offers
HICKORY, N.C. (BVM) — The average height for a full-grown man in the United States is 5-foot-9. According to the NCAA, the average height for a Power 5 football player is 6-foot-1. So imagine being 15 years old and already towering over those averages at 6-foot-4.
Add freakish athletic ability and a handful of Division I football scholarship offers and you have Hickory High School’s Rico Walker.
The do-it-all sophomore played just three conference games in his inaugural high school season for the Red Tornadoes, but earned himself the eyes of many college recruiters. With genetic size and potential, Walker is hard to look past.
His father, Ricardo Walker, played defensive line for perennial powerhouse Auburn University. But Ricardo doesn’t force anything upon his son.
“He’s the type of father where he doesn’t want to beat football into my brain. He wants me to love it on my own; not get burnt out on the game,” Rico said. “He gives me advice when he needs to. If he sees me messing up or not doing something correctly, he definitely talks to me about it.”
Loving the game on his own is something that came naturally for Rico. The proof is in the pudding; look at his stats. In those three conference games, Rico recorded 23 tackles and seven sacks. However, a lot of his offers are coming on the offensive side of the ball.
His first official offer from South Carolina was for the tight end position. While the future Division I athlete excels on both sides of the field, he has no preference as to where he wants to play at the next level.
“I’ll give that choice to the college I commit to,” Rico said.
He also doesn’t have a preference on which school that is. He just wants to feel comfortable in his decision.
“I used to have a dream school but I don’t anymore,” Rico said. “To be honest, it’s whoever I feel most at home with now.”
Luckily, the four-star prospect has plenty of time to mull over that decision as he is just a sophomore, and more likely than not, many more offers to pick from. Being just 15 years old, NCAA recruiting regulations outlaw coaches from contacting him directly. So all of the offers he’s received to this point have been through his head coach Russell Stone.
“I put his number on my Twitter account,” Walker said. “They call him, he tells me.”
As of now, the two-way stud holds offers from South Carolina, Mississippi State, North Carolina and most recently, Virginia Tech. After officially being offered, only then is he able to contact those coaches. The feedback he has been getting sounds all the same.
“They are impressed with my motor and athleticism,” Walker said. “…They also are impressed by my hand placements on the defensive side of the ball, and my lateral quickness.”
For a guy that large, being able to move the way he does is tantalizing to recruiters. And he isn’t done growing. Walker says that doctors tell him he’s supposed to grow another two or three inches, which is absolutely mammoth for any position on the gridiron.
If he does grow to 6-foot-7 but is able to keep his weight down, he admittedly would lean towards the tight end position at the next level. But Walker maintains the mindset that he’ll play wherever the school of his choice needs him to.
Before any of that can come to fruition though, Walker has three more seasons of high school ball to complete. He has set high goals for himself on both sides, hoping to stay consistent and continue to build his name up in the world of football.
“I want to get over 100 yards a game and at least five catches a game,” Walker said. “On defense, probably about eight or more tackles a game.”
Walker knows that his recruiting trail is going to pick up steam, and quickly, but he still has lots he wants to prove. He believes that there is still so much of his game that has yet to be seen. When he gets a full-season’s worth of opportunity to display his talents, he thinks it’ll turn some heads.
“A lot of people are going to be surprised.” Walker said.
