RECRUITING AREAS: Cook County and Texas
Walker comes to Western Illinois after most recently serving as Defensive Coordinator and co-Special Teams Coordinator at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.
In his first season at Tyler Junior College, Walker IV ran the defense as well as helped on special teams. His defense anchored a team that went 5-4.
Before coming to Tyler, Walker IV helped Saint Francis University capture an NEC title, posting numerous national top 25 finishes statistically.
He helped guide a Red Flash defense that gave up 19.1 points per game and 182.3 passing yards per game, both top-four in the NEC.
Walker also contributed to efforts that kept the Red Flash in the top 5 nationally in multiple statistical categories.
Before coaching at St. Francis, Walker IV coached at Coe College, working as linebacker coach, special teams coordinator, and in other off-the-field roles that included the program's social media coordinator. Walker coached ARC Defensive Player of the Year and AFCA All-American Logan Rickard at the linebacker position and special teams All-American in A.J. Christensen. Coe led Division III in blocked punts as well as punts returned for touchdowns in 2019.
Prior to his time at Coe, Walker IV worked as the defensive backs coach and punt return coordinator at Carroll University for the 2018 season. The punt return unit posted its best numbers in the program's history finishing No. 1 in the CCIW.
Walker IV began his college coaching career at his alma mater, Eastern Illinois, as a defensive quality control coach and earned high school coaching experience at Lincoln-Way Central HS in Illinois. Walker, a native of Chicago, Illinois, was a two-sport student-athlete at Eastern Illinois in football and track, and graduated in 2017 with a degree in Kinesiology/Sport Management. He appeared in 38 career games with 52 total tackles, including 37 in his senior year. The Panthers qualified for the FCS playoffs twice in his tenure. On the track, Walker was a hurdler who scored in multiple OVC Championship meets and helped the Panthers to indoor championships in 2016 and 2017.
