Walker: Played well against top competition at team camp

“I have to switch modes and get into which hole is going to be open before it is and read the defenses and stuff like that,” Walker said.

Running back is where Southmoore coach Jeff Brickman sees Walker fitting in at the next level.

“I think he’s a perfect spread running back,” Brickman said. “I think he’s a running back more so than a slot. He’s an ideal zone runner — inside zone and outside zone. He has the vision for it. He knows when to bounce it back. He knows when to go against the grain.

“He can also catch the ball out of the backfield so when you want to go to an empty backfield, you don’t have to change personnel.”

He also has the running back bloodlines. Walker’s uncle, Tarrion Adams, starred at the position for Moore and holds Tulsa records for most rushing yards for a career, season and game.

Walker said working on his vision — knowing where to go and when — has been one of his biggest points of emphasis this offseason as he adjusts from carrying the ball almost exclusively on outside zone plays to running the entire playbook.

Walker also has worked to get stronger.

“Last year, my main problem was the aftercontact hits, how far I was able to go after contact,” Walker said. “I’ve got to get better at that and get some more explosion in my step.”

He showed off some of that improvement at a team camp in Tulsa earlier this month, averaging more than 12 yards per carry against Tulsa Union, Broken Arrow and Norman North’s defenses.

“He was the best running back at that camp,” Brickman said. “It took him that first week of spring practices to learn all the different plays but he really showed how far he’s come at Tulsa.”