×

Former walk-ons seeking action at linebacker for Lions

UNIVERSITY PARK – Von Walker came to Penn State from Central Mountain High School given nothing and promised nothing.

But, should the last two years of his career go the way his first two went, he’ll leave with plenty.

Brandon Smith arrived the same way from Lewisburg, but seeing the field has proven to be a bigger challenge.

Together, they were part of Bill O’Brien’s “run-on” program in 2013, the first recruiting class after NCAA sanctions cut scholarship limits from 85 to 65, where the staff set out to find every possible talented player who might be able to help a Big Ten program.

Now, the two are juniors fighting for depth chart position at linebacker against some of the more sought-after recruits in this part of the country. And, while Smith works to build on a spring where he finally saw Beaver Stadium action in front of fans playing every snap for the White team in the Blue-White scrimmage, Walker’s career has taken off.

First, Walker was awarded a full scholarship at the end of spring practice. It was only a huge financial relief for any family paying for a Penn State education, but a milestone for Walker that showed he’d truly accomplished something in a Penn State uniform. And, if that wasn’t enough, the team announced on Thursday that Walker was one of five team captains for 2015, joining quarterback Christian Hackenberg plus three seniors chosen to represent the team last month at Big Ten media days: safety Jordan Lucas, center Angelo Mangiro, and defensive tackle Anthony Zettel.

“When I called my mom, I was excited. Dad, he cried a little. It was one of the best moments of my life,” said Walker, whose scholarship hopes grew after coaches meetings, but he didn’t know for sure it would happen until they told him. “It was all so rewarding, and it’s all worth it. Sort of a Cinderella story. It’s awesome.”

Walker, who has played special teams since his first game in a Nittany Lion uniform vs. Syracuse in 2013, finished last season with 12 tackles playing mostly special teams and some reserve linebacker. He earned his first career start vs. Northwestern, where his three tackles tied a career high.

He was expected to start the preseason behind Brandon Bell at strong outside linebacker, and again expects to be a presence on the kickoff and punt units.

He also enters camp with a right-arm tattoo he said he got a few days before last year’s Pinstripe Bowl. On one side is a broken clock, because time doesn’t matter when you’re working hard. On the back is a quote from the Greek philosopher Horace, which mentions living in today, not worrying about yesterday or tomorrow, and that what matters is right now.

That attitude seems to have served him well so far, and it’s one he plans to keep with his scholarship.

“Not to be disrespectful, but I’ll never be grateful enough for what they gave me. I just pretend nothing happened,” Walker said. “It’s like the first day I got here. Work hard and pretend like it never happened.”

Smith is down the depth chart at middle linebacker but has also worked some at weakside linebacker. It’s where he saw his first public action in a Nittany Lion uniform, playing nearly every snap in April’s Blue-White scrimmage. That opportunity came in part because of the usual spring depth chart shuffling from not having a full roster yet of incoming players to field two full teams.

“It was a great feeling. Fun to be out in that big stadium here,” Smith said. “You know, there’s an incredible adrenaline rush and you get nervous before the game, but as soon as it’s here, it’s the same game as high school. It’s bigger, and it’s faster, but it’s just as fun.”

He’d love more chances to play there, and is also hoping to contribute on the special teams units, now that he appears set at one position. He said he endured the same college learning curve everyone does with a more complex playbook, a time where he also dealt with moving from linebacker to fullback and back to linebacker again.

“To me, learning the plays is the biggest thing,” Smith said. “Coach (Dwight) Galt does a great job getting everyone ready physically, we’ll all develop and get bigger and stronger and faster, but learning the plays is where you’ll really get better on your own.”

Smith is sophomore eligible, leaving him three years left. Walker, barring injury, would be done after a senior season of 2016. He said he’s starting to understand how the seniors always talk about how fast their careers went, and how there’s a good part of his Penn State football story now in the past tense.

“I don’t know, the chips fell right,” Walker said. “The right mix between luck and hard work and it all came together.”

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.39/week.

Subscribe Today