Brey Walker
Offensive Line
6'7" 350lbs
RS Senior
Brey was at one time the #2 OT recruit out of high school and the 15th rated recruit in the country. It's safe to say that individually he reached the pinnacle of high school football. Unfortunately, he hasn't experienced the same sort of success at the college level. As Oklahoma's top rated recruit in 2018, he was slated to be the next NFL draft pick from a university who at the time was putting about 2 olinemen in the league per year. After receiving limited playing time with a couple of starts early in his career at Oklahoma, the last couple of years have mostly found him on the scout team. IMO, the expectations for him were unfair and unrealistic, and may have affected Brey's commitment.
He went on to play in 13 of 14 games his RS freshman year with starts in 2 games, against Kansas and Texas Tech. Unfortunately, I was not able to find the replay of either of those games, so my evaluation will be based on the amount of information available on Brey online (sources).
What initially surprised me after starting my research was that Brey was moved to right guard. According to a media source, highly respected Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh said that Brey lacked the athleticism required to play tackle. Coach Bedenbaugh is also quoted as saying Brey needed to elevate his game, but he was impressed with his effort. Despite that, Brey saw less playing time as his career at Oklahoma progressed and eventually ended up being demoted to the scout team, leading to his transfer to Texas State via the transfer portal.
Now, the million-dollar question is whether Brey will thrive at Texas State. Before attempting to answer that question, let's disregard Brey's .98 rating out of high school and .84 rating as a transfer. Those ratings don't provide a true indication of what to expect from Brey.
As a reminder, where a player transfers from holds little significance unless it's from Alabama or Georgia. I know it may sound harsh, but the story of J.P. Urquidez, a 4-star, 6'7" 320lbs offensive lineman who transferred to Texas State from The University of Texas, serves as evidence that these highly rated transfers with one year of eligibility require deeper analysis. In fact, 4-star transfers to the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) don't make all-conference SBC teams at a higher rate compared to other players and there's evidence suggesting they perform worse. Therefore, let's start with a clean slate with Brey and evaluate the player he is today based on the available information.
First and foremost, everyone notices Brey's immense size, which has been apparent since around the 5th grade. Standing at 6'7" and weighing 350 lbs, it's easy to assume he would excel in football. Sometimes recruiting services focus solely on physical measurements, and in that regard, Brey would always be considered a 5-star athlete, especially considering he does have some bend and athleticism.
However, 5-star athletes should face increased scrutiny, and we have a test similar to the S2 cognition exam for quarterbacks to delve deeper into their abilities of offensive linemen. For offensive linemen, the equivalent might be the 20-yard shuttle, which could provide valuable insights into Brey's struggles so far.
According to Brey's Nike Rating, coming out of HS his 20 shuttle was average at best. When I watch his film, he wasn't slow but he certainly wasn't fast or explosive. He was just bigger than everyone else with average athleticism. Neverthless, with a renewed commitment to football at Texas State, he may be able leverage his size against SBC competition, which isn't Big12 competition but also no a walk in the park.
IMO, he would benefit by shedding some pounds and working on his 20yard shuttle.
There's no reason Brey can't make the 2-deep roster, but would be surprised to see him surpass Nash Jones or Jonathan Scott, who the coaches are on record as describing as next level at the tackle positions. Nevertheless, Brey should be at least a solid contributor and starter if injury were to occur.
3.95 stars because the man needs to work for every inch.
Sources:
HUDL: HS
YouTube: 20yd Shuttle
Youtube: Brey Analysis
Youtube: Wrestling Match
Spotify: Interview WNGB
247: HS rating
