WVU football's rebuilt roster is starting to show some promise in the secondary before a snap of action is even played during the 2025 season.
After WVU transfer cornerback additions Michael Coats Jr. and Jordan Scruggs were listed as two of the highest graded players by Pro Football Focus (PFF) at the position from 2024 in the Big 12, Mountaineer safety Jordan Walker has found himself on a similar list from PFF at his position.
The 6-foot, 188-pound defensive back graded out at 75.1 last season during his time with Chattanooga at the FCS level, according to PFF. That makes him the sixth-best returning safety in the Big 12 Conference among all 16 teams in the league.
Walker joins the Mountaineers after a five season stint with the Chattanooga Mocs, during which he made 37 appearances and recorded a total of 147 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 9 passes defended and 4 interceptions. In 2024, Walker managed to tally 60 tackles, seven pass breakups and four tackles, a performance which both earned some love from PFF as well as an opportunity at the Power 4 level of the sport.
Walker spent the spring with the Mountaineers and has one season of eligibility remaining in his career, and is one of many additions to the roster over the offseason that has WVU defensive coordinator Zac Alley excited about the team's talent on the defensive side of the ball as fall camp gets underway.
"I think that we're certainly a lot more talented than we were in the spring," Alley said. "Just as a whole, I think we have both developed players that were here that went through a great strength and summer conditioning program, and obviously we get to work with them now in the summer and that helps a lot. And then we brought in a lot of guys who can compete."