50 DAYS TO KICKOFF: Tre Walker

#50 Tre Walker True Senior 6-3 | 225 Olathe, Kan. Bio

Position: Linebacker Previous College: None Projection: Starter Status: On Scholarship

It's really hard for me to process that Armogen Bruer "Tre" Walker Jr. (b. Feb. 22, 1992) is a senior now.

It seems like just yesterday that he was a scrappy little freshman who had two starts, 47 tackles, one sack and one interception in 13 games. That led to high expectations in 2011, but what he gave us that season exceeded them.

Walker exited spring practice penciled in beside Arthur Brown as a projected starter, but what he became was the emotional heart and soul of a reborn "Lynch Mob" defense. Witness Exhibit A: The Stand.

In addition to those intangibles, Walker logged 52 tackles (30 solo, 22 assisted), three tackles for loss, half a sack, three pass breakups and a forced fumble in 2011.

Granted, he took a bit of a step back in 2012 even before his injury. Frequently subbed out in favor of the nickel package, Walker's speed seemed to be a liability that made the coaches favor Brown and Jarell Childs instead.

Then came the Texas Tech game and that awful knee injury. But even after that, we had the inspiring sight of a crutches-bound Walker, still carrying that block of wood that reads "Family." Leaders can't be silenced by pain.

Walker finished after eight games in 2012 with just 19 tackles (nine solo, 10 assisted) and three tackles for loss.

I dare say he will better those figures in his final season as a Wildcat, and he will be even more crucial in filling the leadership role vacated by Brown and Collin Klein.