J.B. Walton, We Sort of Knew Ye
For the second time this summer, a player who I profiled in our “Counting Down the Lions” feature has left the team, as a result of academic issues. Unlike Darrell Givens, however, who refused to go to prep school for a year and get his grades in check, J.B. Walton left the football team of his own accord. Due to a learning disability, Walton struggled academically, and the time committment that football took on his life forced Walton to put his priorities in order. It’s a credit to the young man’s character that he chose academics.
Walton, a redshirt sophomore, was slated to back up the guards this season, and came in to Penn State as a very highly touted recruit, with offers from most of the elite programs in college football. By all accounts, he was a tremendous talent, and Joe Paterno, who broke the news during his media day press conference today, made sure to point out that Walton is a good kid, who just couldn’t get the academic support he needed at Penn State.
While this deals a blow to Penn State’s depth along the offensive line, the loss of Walton is a truly unfortunate situation, for both sides. We want to wish J.B. the best in his future pursuits, both academic and football, and hope that, even if it’s not at Penn State, Walton can realize his enormous potential, both on the gridiron, and in the classroom.
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