On Monday morning, just before 11:00 a.m. ET, North Gwinnett High School senior Payne Walker announced his decision to accept the preferred walk-on offer from the University of Georgia.

 

Walker is a 6 foot 2, and 240 lbs 2018 prospect who not only handles the long snapping duties for the North Gwinnett Bulldogs football team but he also plays at defensive end, where, this past season, Payne racked up 70 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 10 QB sacks, one interception, two fumble recoveries for touchdowns, and one forced fumble. He is rated the No. 9 and 4.5 star long snapper prospect by Kohl’s Kicking. Here is Kohl’s analysis of Walker:

“Walker attended the Spring Southern Showcase and continued to show off his talents. He is a large, physical athlete who is also very explosive in his snapping motion. He snaps a clean ball that has great Velocity. Over the last 3 ranking camps, Walker has had an average snap time of .68 seconds. He has also shown he has phenomenal athleticism for his size. Walker has the talent and abilities to benefit any program in the country.”

For the Georgia coaching staff, picking up Payne Walker is just as big of a deal as getting any of their 2018 commitments. Why? Long snapper is an often overlooked position on special teams, but a critical one none the less. The Bulldogs will three of their current five long snappers on the roster to graduation after this season, including rock-steady veteran Trent Frix; so, replenishing depth here is key.

The talented athlete out of Suwanee, GA chose UGA over Army and Air Force, both of which he held scholarship offers from. Walker is teammates with another current 2018 UGA commit, offensive lineman and center Warren Ericson. Both Walker and Ericson have one more high school football game to play with North Gwinnett this season as they host Colquitt County in the rescheduled Class 7A State Championship game on Friday, Dec. 15th. If you get a chance to watch the game, Payne Walker wears No. 48 and Ericson wears 55.

Please enjoy these highlights of Payne Walker:

SENIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS LS & DE

KHOL’S KICKING – LS HIGHLIGHTS