Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III left off Heisman Trophy finalist list; Twitter abuzz
Kenneth Walker III started with a bang just outside of Chicago three months ago. The Michigan State football star seemed destined to run himself all the way to New York.
But Walker was not named one of four finalists for Heisman Trophy.
Adding to the sting of Walker's snub, two Big Ten East rivals were named Heisman finalists. Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud were named finalists along with Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.
[ How Kenneth Walker went from forever unnoticed to Michigan State's Heisman candidate ]
Walker's omission means another year in which no MSU player has won the Heisman since it was first awarded in 1935. Walker was the school’s best hope since running back Lorenzo White finished fourth in both 1985 and 1987. Walt Kowakczyk in 1957 and Sherman Lewis in 1963 both finished third.
Four others since White have finished in the top 10: Tony Mandarich was sixth in 1988, Percy Snow eighth in 1989, Javon Ringer 10th in 2008 and Connor Cook ninth in 2015.
Balloting closed Monday afternoon for the 928 electors — 870 college football media members, 57 living Heisman Trophy winners and one overall fan vote.
News regarding Walker's name not being included as a Heisman finalist had social media abuzz in support of the Spartan running back.
CJ Stroud getting a Heisman invite over Kenneth Walker is absurd. CJ Stroud is very good but he’s the 4th best player on his own offense. Kenneth Walker carried a decent team to 10-2.
— Brandon Walker (@BWalkerSEC) December 7, 2021
It’s clear the Heisman doesn’t value schools like MSU. What Kenneth Walker did for the Spartans this year is nothing short of incredible.
— Mike Sullivan (@MikeSullivan) December 7, 2021
Will Anderson and Kenneth Walker should host their own ceremony in protest. https://t.co/mgvWjexpoJ
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) December 6, 2021
MSU’s Kenneth Walker is not one of four finalists for the Heisman Trophy. He was my 2nd-place vote behind Bryce Young. Walker elevated an entire program. The four - Young, Hutchinson, Pickett and Stroud - are all deserving. I thought Walker was more deserving than three of them.
— Graham Couch (@Graham_Couch) December 6, 2021
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The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Walker, a native of Arlington, Tennessee, ranks second in the Football Bowl Subdivision (first among Power Five players) with both 1,636 rushing yards and a 136.3 yards-per-game average, and his 18 rushing touchdowns rank eighth in the country. He sits fourth in single-season MSU history in rushing yards, one yard behind Ringer’s 1,637 in 2008.
He said after the regular season finale he expects to play in MSU's bowl game, but has not yet decided if he will leave school to enter the 2022 NFL draft.
Already named Big Ten running back of the year and first-team all-conference, Walker should receive All-America honors and is a finalist for the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Doak Walker Award. Those individual awards will be announced Thursday.
Walker announced his transfer to MSU on Jan. 6 and enrolled that month after playing two years at Wake Forest, where he opted out of the Demon Deacons' final two games on Dec. 8, 2020. He ran for 579 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2020 and 1,158 yards and 17 TDs in his two seasons.
A buzz began to build around Walker during MSU’s spring practice, a jolt to an offense that did not have a rushing TD from a running back in 2020, and tailbacks scored just nine in 2019. The Spartans played 701 minutes and 24 seconds of football — nearly 11½ games — without a running back reaching the end zone on the ground.
Walker ended that immediately, taking a handoff from Payton Thorne around left end and racing 75 yards on MSU’s first play of the season at Northwestern. That was only the start, and his 264 yards in the 38-21 win Sept. 3 was the seventh-best single-game total in MSU history. He also had four touchdowns on just 23 carries in his debut, which foreshadowed his success and the stunning season that followed for the Spartans.
Two weeks later at Miami, Walker ran for 172 yards. He posted 126 yards and three touchdowns against Western Kentucky on Oct. 2, then put up 233 yards a week later at Rutgers. That included a 94-yard touchdown for the longest play from scrimmage in MSU history.
Then in MSU’s 37-33 victory over Michigan on Oct. 31, Walker ran 23 times for 197 yards and five touchdowns, the most ever scored by a single player against the Wolverines in their 142-year history.
MITCH ALBOM: Kenneth Walker III, new to Michigan-MSU rivalry, put stamp on it in epic fashion
Walker ran for less than 100 yards four times – 57 yards on seven carries against Youngstown State, 61 yards on 19 attempts against Nebraska, 84 yards on 23 rushes at Indiana and a season-low 25 yards on six carries at Ohio State.
Walker leads the FBS in rushing yards after contact (1,154), 20-plus yard carries (21) and missed forced tackles (89), and is tied for second in 10-plus yard carries (46).
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MSU football's Kenneth Walker III not named Heisman finalist
