Kenneth Walker III

Last updated

Kenneth Walker III
Kenneth Walker III being interviewed by Time2Football 2026 (cropped).png
Walker in 2026
No. 9 – Seattle Seahawks
Position Running back
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2000-10-20) October 20, 2000 (age 25)
Arlington, Tennessee, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Listed weight211 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school Arlington
College
NFL draft 2022: 2nd round, 41st overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Rushing yards 3,555
Rushing average 4.3
Rushing touchdowns 29
Receptions 133
Receiving yards 1,005
Receiving touchdowns 2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Kenneth Walker III (born October 20, 2000) is an American professional football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Michigan State Spartans, winning the Walter Camp and Doak Walker Awards in 2021. Walker was selected by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. In the 2025 season, he was named MVP of Super Bowl LX.

Contents

Early life

Walker was born on October 20, 2000, in Arlington, Tennessee. [1] He attended Arlington High School and played for their football team, where he rushed for 3,485 yards with 41 touchdowns. He committed to Wake Forest University to play college football. [2]

College career

Walker played at Wake Forest in 2019 and 2020. During those two years he rushed for 1,158 yards on 217 carries with 17 touchdowns. [3] [4] After the 2020 season, Walker transferred to Michigan State University. [5] [6] He became the starter his first year at Michigan State. [7] [8] In his debut with the Spartans, he rushed for 264 yards and four touchdowns. [9] [10] His four touchdowns doubled the Michigan State 2020 season total, and were the first for a Spartan running back since the 2019 season. [11] Walker III was awarded the Doak Walker and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and finished 6th in the Heisman for the 2021 NCAA season. [12] [13] He earned Consensus All-American honors for the 2021 season. [14] Following the season, he announced that he would forgo his senior year and declared for the 2022 NFL draft. [15]

College statistics

YearTeamGamesRushingReceiving
GPGSAttYdsAvgTDRecYdsAvgTD
2019 Wake Forest 130985795.943175.70
2020 Wake Forest 881195794.91333010.00
2021 Michigan State 12122631,6366.21813896.81
Career 33204802,7945.835191367.21

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 9+1⁄4 in
(1.76 m)		211 lb
(96 kg)		30+3⁄8 in
(0.77 m)		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)		4.38 s1.49 s2.53 s34.0 in
(0.86 m)		10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)
All values from NFL Combine [16] [17] [18]

2022

Walker was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round with the 41st overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. [19]

Walker made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers. [20] In Week 5, against the New Orleans Saints, he had a 69-yard rushing touchdown in the 32–39 loss. [21] He was named the starting running back for the Seattle Seahawks after Rashaad Penny was placed on injured reserve. [22] In Week 7, against the Los Angeles Chargers, Walker rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the 37–23 victory. [23] On November 3, Walker was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month for October. [24] In Week 9, he rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a 31–21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. [25] In Week 12, he had another game with two rushing touchdowns in the 40–34 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. [26] He closed out the regular season with three consecutive games with over 100 rushing yards. He finished his rookie season with 228 carries for 1,050 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns to go along with 27 receptions for 165 receiving yards. [27] He joined Curt Warner as the only players in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000 yards as a rookie. [28] On January 14, 2023, during the 2022–23 NFL playoffs, Walker rushed the ball 15 times for 63 yards and a touchdown, during a 41–23 Wild Card Round loss to the 49ers. [29] [30] He was named to the 2022 Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team. [31]

2023

In Week 3, Walker totaled 156 scrimmage yards with a pair of rushing touchdowns in a 37–27 win over the Carolina Panthers, earning National Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week. [32] Walker finished the 2023 season with 219 carries for 905 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns to go with 29 receptions for 259 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 15 games. [33]

2024

Walker dealt with injury throughout the 2024 campaign, making 11 total starts and compiling 573 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, 299 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown. [34] On December 26, 2024, Walker was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury, ending his season. [35]

2025: Super Bowl MVP

Walker started all 17 games for the Seahawks for the first time in his career, finishing with 1,027 rushing yards on 221 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt. His rushing touchdown total was lower than in previous years, at five, as fellow running back Zach Charbonnet handled the majority of Seattle’s goal-line carries. Walker also tallied 31 receptions for 282 receiving yards. [36]

Walker's workload increased during the postseason after Charbonnet tore his ACL in the first half of the Seahawks' Divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers. [37] Walker finished the game with 116 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries as Seattle won 41–6. [38] Against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game, Walker totaled 111 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, helping the Seahawks secure a 31–27 win and a berth in Super Bowl LX. [39] In Super Bowl LX, Walker amassed 27 carries for a season-high 135 yards and 26 receiving yards, leading the Seahawks to a 29–13 victory over the New England Patriots and earning Super Bowl MVP honors. [40] Walker's 135 rush yards were the most in a Super Bowl since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII. [40]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Legend
Super Bowl MVP
Won the Super Bowl
BoldCareer High
YearTeamGamesRushingReceivingFumbles
GPGSAttYdsY/ALngTDRecYdsY/RLngTDFumLost
2022 SEA 15112281,0504.674T9271656.133000
2023 SEA 15152199054.1458292598.964T110
2024 SEA 11111535733.7287462996.521110
2025 SEA 17172211,0274.6555312829.146010
Career 58548213,5554.374291331,0057.664230

Postseason

YearTeamGamesRushingReceivingFumbles
GPGSAttYdsAvgLngTDRecYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
2022 SEA 1115634.291133.03000
2025 SEA 33653134.83041110411.630000
Career 44803764.73051210710.730000

References

  1. ↑ Munz, Jason (August 25, 2018). "Arlington star Kenny Walker is scoring touchdowns at a breakneck pace, and more takeaways from Friday night". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  2. ↑ Johns, Les (December 2, 2018). "Memphis-area RB Kenneth Walker commits to Wake Forest". DemonDeaconDigest.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Kenneth Walker III 2019 Game Log". Sports Reference . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Kenneth Walker III 2020 Game Log". Sports Reference . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  5. ↑ Charboneau, Matt (January 6, 2021). "Michigan State lands running back Kenneth Walker III, transfer from Wake Forest". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  6. ↑ Dell, John (January 6, 2021). "Running back Kenneth Walker III, transferring from Wake Forest, announces his destination". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  7. ↑ Wenzel, Matt (August 9, 2021). "Kenneth Walker III could be 'home run' threat Michigan State needs at running back". mlive. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  8. ↑ Charboneau, Matt (September 4, 2021). "Kenneth Walker III runs wild as MSU tramples Northwestern in opener". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  9. ↑ Wenzel, Matt (September 11, 2021). "Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III feels no pressure for encore to monster debut". mlive. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  10. ↑ Atkins, Nate (September 4, 2021). "Kenneth Walker III shatters expectations for everyone but his Michigan State teammates: 'I've never had a game like this'". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  11. ↑ "2020 Michigan State Spartans Stats". Sports Reference . Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Doak Walker Award Winners". Sports Reference . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Walter Camp Player of the Year Award Winners". Sports Reference . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Consensus All-America Teams (2020–2022)". Sports Reference . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  15. ↑ VanHaaren, Tom (December 16, 2021). "Spartans RB Walker to skip bowl, enter NFL draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  16. ↑ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Kenneth Walker III Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State, RB, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Kenneth Walker III NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Seattle Seahawks' RB". BleacherReport.com. April 29, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  19. ↑ Boyle, John (April 29, 2022). "Seahawks Select Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III With 41st Overall Pick". Seahawks.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – September 18th, 2022". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at New Orleans Saints – October 9th, 2022". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  22. ↑ Weaver, Tim (October 15, 2022). "Seahawks place Rashaad Penny on IR, elevate one from practice squad". Seahawks Wire. USA Today. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Chargers – October 23rd, 2022". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  24. ↑ Boyle, John (November 3, 2022). "Tariq Woolen & Kenneth Walker III Earn NFL Rookie of the Month Honors". Seahawks.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals – November 6th, 2022". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Las Vegas Raiders at Seattle Seahawks – November 27th, 2022". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Kenneth Walker 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  28. ↑ Obee, Maliik (January 9, 2023). "Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III Etches Name In Seahawks Record Books In Season Finale". www.seahawks.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  29. ↑ Patra, Kevin (January 15, 2023). "49ers defeat Seahawks, advance to NFC Divisional Round for second straight season". NFL.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  30. ↑ Simmons, Myles (January 14, 2023). "Seahawks score with Kenneth Walker touchdown, trail 49ers 10–7". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  31. ↑ "2022 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  32. ↑ Gordon, Grant (September 27, 2023). "Dolphins RB De'Von Achane, Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  33. ↑ "Kenneth Walker III 2023 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Kenneth Walker III 2024 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  35. ↑ Boyle, John (December 26, 2024). "Seahawks Place Kenneth Walker III On Injured Reserve; Sign George Holani Off Practice Squad". Seahawks.com. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Kenneth Walker III 2025 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  37. ↑ Henderson, Brady (January 20, 2026). "Can Kenneth Walker III carry Seahawks after Charbonnet injury?". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  38. ↑ Boyle, John (January 19, 2026). "Seahawks Next Gen Stat Of The Week: Breaking Down Kenneth Walker III's Big Game vs. 49ers". Seahawks.com. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  39. ↑ Engel, Scott (January 25, 2026). "Kenneth Walker III Sparks Offense In NFC Championship Win". Seahawks.com. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  40. 1 2 Wagoner, Nick (February 9, 2026). "Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III named MVP of Super Bowl LX". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
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