PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football has a strong tradition of walk-on success, with several earning the title of team captain.

Through hard work and dedication, DL Jordan Walker went from unrecruited out of high school, to prep school, to a walk-on on offense, to a contributor on defense and now a captain as one of the leaders of the team.

"It means a lot to me," Walker said after the team vote. "And what it means to me is I have to uphold the standard. Every day, all day, feeling good, feeling bad, no matter what the circumstances are. My brothers depend on me for that. I'm blessed and honored."

Walker joins an exclusive group of RU walk-ons to become captains, including Joe Lusardi and Christian Dremel last year, going back to Michael Burton (2014), Ramel Meekins (2006), Gary Brackett (2002), Shaun O'Hara (1999) and more. All names are marked on a display inside the Hale Center.

"I can tell you that when he first started here, that would not have been my prediction," head coach Greg Schiano said of Walker being voted a captain. "That's the fun part about coaching, is that when you see a young man not only grow as a football player, but grow as a person, and now he is a consummate leader, one of the top two vote getters in the captain's vote. So that's really impressive, and he's still an underclassman, so it shows how much he has progressed."

From Rochester, New York, Walker's senior year at Rush-Henritta High School was disrupted in 2020 due to the pandemic. The season moved to the spring, as Walker hit the camp circuit after and decided to take a prep year at Milford Academy.

Playing wide receiver for the Falcons, Walker hauled in 15 receptions for 258 yards, catching the eye of Rutgers assistant Bob Fraser. From there, Walker was offered a spot as a walk-on for the Scarlet Knights, where he joined the program as a tight end.

"I took that opportunity and just kept running with it," Walker said.

He made his collegiate debut as a sophomore in the win over Temple, seeing action in five games that season. However, another opportunity arose in the preparation leading up to the Pinstripe Bowl. After meeting with Schiano, it was decided that Walker could best contribute on the other side of the ball as a defensive lineman.

"Coach gave me a lot to work on," Walker said. "He said to keep working."

Walker put in the work that offseason and immediately made an impact with a sack in the season opener versus Howard. Another key play came in the comeback win over Minnesota, as he sacked the quarterback in the end zone for a safety. Overall, Walker tied for the team lead with four sacks, ranked second with seven tackles-for-loss and graded out as the No. 14 player in the Big Ten at his position by Pro Football Focus. All for a player in his first year playing defense for the Scarlet Knights.

"I'm just happy that I can do my job," Walker said. "That's always on the forefront of my mind, doing my job, letting the plays come to me, and then just making those plays when they come."

Now a starter and captain, Walker takes on the role of team leader. He joins LB Dariel Djabome, QB Athan Kaliakmanis and OL Gus Zilinskas as the 2025 Scarlet Knights captains.

"I just stay in the moment," Walker said. "I have to keep working and getting better."



Rutgers Walk-Ons: Team Captains
1993: Bill Bailey
1996: Rob Seeger
1999: Shaun O'Hara
2002: Gary Brackett
2004: Ray Pilch
2006: Ramel Meekins
2007: Brandon Renkert
2010: Howard Barbieri
2014: Michael Burton
2015: Paul James
2017: Darnell Davis
2020: Lawrence Stevens
2023-24: Joe Lusardi
2024: Christian Dremel
2025: Jordan Walker

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