Kenneth Walker: RB · Michigan State · #9.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Kenneth Walker
Hits the crease and outruns the angle. The three seasons span two programs and two head coaches: Dave Clawson and Mel Tucker. On tape: 264 rushing yards and 4 rushing TD against Northwestern, Week 1, 2021.
Play style
Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.
Closer · Q4-with-lead carry share
The closer
57.1% of carries overall (250/438) → 50.5% of Q4-with-lead carries (47/93) — 95.7% of those in competitive (≤16-pt) games.
Counted from the play-by-play, so a carry or two can differ from the box score.
Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
11 of 15 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (73.3%). 17 of the team's 21 inside-the-5 carries (81.0%).
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
The Detroit News Oct 27
Detroit Free Press Oct 24
Lansing State Journal Oct 23Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Michigan State | 263 | 1,636 | 6.2 | 18 | 94 |
| 2020 | Wake Forest | 119 | 579 | 4.9 | 13 | 75 |
| 2019 | Wake Forest | 98 | 579 | 5.9 | 4 | 96 |
| Career | 480 | 2,794 | 5.8 | 35 | 96 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Michigan State | 13 | 89 | 6.8 | 1 | 17 |
| 2020 | Wake Forest | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 | 19 |
| 2019 | Wake Forest | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | 15 |
| Career | 19 | 136 | 7.2 | 1 | 19 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-21@ Northwestern | 23 | 264 | 11.5 | 4 | 75 | Season-high 264 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 42-14vs Youngstown State | 7 | 57 | 8.1 | 1 | 24 | |
| Wk 3 | W 38-17@ No. 24 Miami | 27 | 172 | 6.4 | 0 | 26 | 172-yard day |
| Wk 4 | W 23-20vs Nebraska | 19 | 61 | 3.2 | 0 | 23 | |
| Wk 5 | W 48-31vs Western Kentucky | 24 | 126 | 5.3 | 3 | 15 | 3 rushing TDs |
| Wk 6 | W 31-13@ Rutgers | 29 | 233 | 8.0 | 1 | 94 | 233-yard day |
| Wk 7 | W 20-15@ Indiana | 23 | 84 | 3.7 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 9 | W 37-33vs No. 6 Michigan | 23 | 197 | 8.6 | 5 | 58 | 5 rushing TDs |
| Wk 10 | L 29-40@ Purdue | 22 | 136 | 6.2 | 1 | 33 | |
| Wk 11 | W 40-21vs Maryland | 30 | 143 | 4.8 | 2 | 36 | |
| Wk 12 | L 7-56@ No. 5 Ohio State | 6 | 25 | 4.2 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 13 | W 30-27vs Penn State | 30 | 138 | 4.6 | 1 | 35 | |
| Total | 263 | 1636 | 6.2 | 18 | 94 |
Week 9 · 2021
W 37-33
vs Michigan
197 rush yds (23 car) · 5 TD · 3 rec · 11 yds
Edged out Michigan at home in a shootout.
With B. Baringer — 55.8 yards per punt · 5 punts · 66 long · P. Thorne — 196 yds · 0 TD · 2 INT · QBR 48.4
The plays that mattered most
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
Success rate
43%251 carriesFumble rate
0.4%1 of 263 carries · 1 lostStuffed
0 or fewer ydsGrind
1–3 ydsChunk
4–9 ydsExplosive
10+ yds6.2 yds/carry on 263 carries · 18% explosive (10+ yds) · 43% success rate.
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
Stuffed (≤0)
Grind (1–3)
Chunk (4–9)
Explosive (10+)
Splits · Per-game
2021 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 120 | 5.8 | 2.0 |
| Road6g | 152 | 6.7 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 142 | 6.6 | 1.3 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 128 | 5.7 | 1.8 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mel Tucker
Pass share
46.1%
399 pass / 467 run
Plays / game
72.2
12 games
Team sack rate
4.9%
429 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2021
263 carries and 13 catches in 12 games, more touches a game than nearly every FBS running back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #7 at the position.
How it ended
Three seasons, at Wake Forest and Michigan State, 2,794 rushing yards — drafted at #41 overall by the Seattle Seahawks.
A stat line in 32 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2019–2021
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Dave Clawson and Mel Tucker.
Next stop · NFL
Seattle SeahawksEntering 5th NFL season
Seattle SeahawksEntering 5th NFL season
