Nobody knew exactly what to expect when Darrin Walls made his return to Notre Dame this spring after he missed all of last season.
Without the structure, discipline and conditioning that comes with playing big-time college football, Walls could have become the most recent example of a player who lost his way, fell behind, and never caught up.
One practice into spring ball, and it was obvious that wasn’t going to be the case for this potential all-American. In fact, most of his teammates said Walls was in better shape and condition this spring than what he was when he left the team for undisclosed personal reasons after the 2007 season.
 |
|
Walls returned to Notre Dame this spring after sitting out last fall for personal reasons.
|
“I stayed on academic tracking,” Walls said of his time back in Pittsburgh. “And I worked out, and had a job, and physically, it wasn’t a big issue. It really wasn’t much of a transition. ??Now, it’s just learning the defense and getting back out on the field.”
As potentially the best cornerback on the team, Walls will obviously be back on the field in some capacity. It just remains to be seen if he can beat out either senior Raeshon McNeil or sophomore Robert Blanton for a starting spot.
Each had a tremendous spring season, so the competition between three men for two starting spots will spill over into the fall, and that’s fine with Walls. He’s just happy to be back where he belongs.
“It was pretty tough watching them go through the (2008) season, winning games, and watching how much fun they had. It was pretty touch watching it on TV,” he admitted. “But, I kind of embraced it and enjoyed watching from afar. Coming up and watching them play was one of the big things that helped me go through the whole thing.”
Walls made an immediate impact – some good, some bad – when he arrived on the scene as a freshman in 2006. He was terrific in the season opener against Georgia Tech’s all-American receiver Calvin Johnson, before struggling mightily against Purdue’s Selwyn Lymon just four weeks later.
The improvement and better consistency were evident during Walls’ sophomore year in 2007 when he added run stoppage to his skill set while also recording a team-high nine pass breakups for a secondary that held opponents to only 5.6 yards per pass attempt that year.
But bad things happen to good people and all the career momentum and NFL Draft equity Walls had built was lost last season when the news came from nowhere that he was leaving the team.
But good people accept responsibility during bad times, and Walls believes he is stronger now as he returns for his third year of playing time, which could potentially give him a place on the team again next year.
"I found out and learned about myself more than ever before. This whole process has been a positive one,” said Walls, who was second on the team with six tackles in the spring game. “As a person, I think I’ve grown a lot. I think that’s what is going to make me a better football player.”
What’s a good season?
Like each of the top three cornerbacks for Notre Dame, a good season will be staying steady and adding the big-play to the arsenal.
We know Walls has it in him. His highlight of 2007 came against Penn State when he intercepted an Anthony Morelli pass and made a sensational return for a 73-yard touchdown.
Walls is a terrific tackler so expect him to log at least 40 stops this season. And if opponents throw at him, at least 10 pass break-ups is not out of the question, nor is five interceptions and another touchdown return.
“Out of sight out of mind” could have been the approach Walls took when he left the team about one year ago. Instead, he stayed in contact with his teammates, returned to campus, and stayed part of the team from a distance.
The only remaining step is to earn a starting spot and start chasing some of the preseason projections.
“It’s me getting back into a groove and trying to figure out where I fit out on this team,” Walls said, “trying to get back into the groove of getting back in the starting mix.”
.jpg)
