Kenneth Walker III Snubbed By Major Award...Again
Kenneth Walker III garnered the most first-place votes for the Associated Press' NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but did not take home the award.
Walker, an All-American at Michigan State during his lone season in East Lansing, finished second in the voting behind former Ohio State Buckeye and current New York Jet wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Walker's 19 first-place votes were the most among the finalists, while Wilson received 18 and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy claimed six.
In the award voting system (five points for a first-place vote, three for second, one for third), Wilson had 19 second-place votes while Purdy had 12 and Walker eight. Wilson finished with 156 points for the award while Walker had 129 and Purdy 78.
Walker missed two games due to injury, but otherwise had an excellent debut season with the Seattle Seahawks, who selected him 41st overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. The former Spartan led all NFL rookies with 228 carries for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns, adding 27 receptions for 165 yards while helping lead the Seahawks to a playoff berth.
Wilson, meanwhile, led all rookies with 1,103 receiving yards on 83 catches and had four touchdowns. The Jets did not make the playoffs.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Walker has been snubbed in the race for a major award. During his dazzling 2021 season at Michigan State, Walker rushed for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns on 263 carries, adding 13 receptions for 89 yards and another touchdown.
Despite those numbers, being the best player on a Spartans' team that finished 11-2, and being the recipient of the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back, Walker III was not named as a finalist for college football's most prestigious award — the Heisman Trophy.
During a segment on ESPN's College Gameday that season, college football analyst David Pollack backed Walker as his favorite for the Heisman Trophy ahead of Michigan State's Top 10 matchup against Ohio State.
“I think Kenneth Walker is clearly the best player in college football,” Pollack said. “If you took him off this team, they’re at least a three-loss team. He is that sensational. He’s got the ‘wow’ factor, he makes you miss. He can do everything.”
The Spartans were 9-1 and ranked No. 9 in the country at the time of Pollack's statement.
Michigan State certainly missed Walker in their backfield this season, as the Spartans struggled to run the football consistently throughout a disappointing 5-7 season. Given those struggles for MSU in the run game, Pollack's opinion of Walker being worth multiple wins in 2021 was certainly validated.
Whether or not you believe Walker should have won the Heisman, the smack in the face came from the fact he wasn't even named a finalist for the award in 2021. Instead, voters sent Alabama quarterback and eventual winner Bryce Young, Michigan defensive end and runner-up Aiden Hutchinson, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Fortunately, Walker was recognized by another prestigious honor when he was named the winner of the 2021 Walter Camp Award, given annually to college football's "Player of the Year".
While it's disappointing that Walker won't be remembered as the NFL's best offensive rookie in 2022, it's great to see the former Spartan find early success in the professional ranks.
