Walker focused on hitting his goals
Tackle wants to reach new heights in 2021
Rasheed Walker had choices this offseason. The Penn State offensive lineman could’ve tried to play professional football, and several draft boards projected the redshirt sophomore as a potential draft pick.
If staying in Happy Valley was unsatisfactory, the transfer portal would’ve made room for the 6-foot-6, 310pound left tackle, who started every one of the Nittany Lions’ nine games in the 2020 season.
But Walker realized he wanted to improve on his third -team All-Big Ten Conference performance. Earlier this week, he told reporters about his vision for his success and that of Penn State.
“I have a few personal goals that I am still trying to reach,” Walker said Tuesday via Zoom. “I want to make first-team All-Big Ten. I’m focused on getting that All-American. The team has a lot of goals, obviously to have a championship season, so that’s why I came back. I really feel like we can accomplish those goals this year.”
The Nittany Lions are nine days away from completing their 15 spring practices. A recurring theme coming from Penn State players this month of training is redemption. Walker discussed how his his affinity for second-year offensive line
coach Phil Trautwein can help with that goal.
“Since he was an NFL offensive tackle, he sees stuff that not everyone else sees,” Walker said. “When I first started working with him, I already thought I was pretty good, but as I worked with him more, he just started to point out a bunch of things that I could
work on to be better.
“And as I trusted him and kept working on his techniques and doing drills, I felt myself getting better, and I felt more confident as an offensive lineman.”
Walker’s improvement helped the Nittany Lions go from allowing 20 sacks through Penn State 0-5 start to eight sacks in its final four games.
“Last year, I felt like we didn’t have a spring, so basically, we just went into fall camp,” Walker said about learning a new offense under now-former offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and thenfirstline coach Trautwein. “That was the first time we got to run plays together. It took a little bit of time. We had to make a few adjustments, but I feel like Week 6 was the week that we all were just on the same page.”
Walker illustrated the plan for Penn State’s offensive progress.
“We’re all going to be technicians. We’re all going to be very disciplined. We’re all going to finish. We’re all going to play nasty, hard-nosed football,” Walker said. “Because that’s how we’ve been practicing and training, so it has to translate. I’m confident when I say that.”
No matter how much football evolves, the game is won on the offensive and defensive lines. When the Nittany Lions protected quarterback Sean Clifford, he found open receivers like Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington. Improvement on the line helped find lanes for Devyn Ford and the other running backs.
When the line languished, the offense looked lethargic as Clifford fumbled and threw interceptions. Walker hopes 2021 will be different.
“I feel like I’ve taken a big step in the way I’ve been attacking things since I came back,” Walker said. “I’ve improved my workouts, practice, meetings, lifts. It started with winter workouts. I attacked winter workouts, and it’s just all starting to translate.”