ATHENS — It shouldn’t be a surprise that Georgia has a few freshmen who stand out early during spring practice.
The Bulldogs signed the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in the 2025 cycle. And given how young this Georgia team is, there are plenty of opportunities for the newest Georgia Bulldogs.
While just about everyone has raved about defensive end Elijah Griffin and marveled at tight end Elyiss Williams, the most consistent praise has been directed toward one of Georgia’s least-heralded recruits.
That would be running back Bo Walker.
“Bo’s doing a nice job,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said on Tuesday. “Bo’s very bright. He’s had some really good runs. He’s had some mistakes. And what I like about Bo is he’s very teachable. He’s very coachable. And he’s got natural rush instincts.”
Walker was the No. 376 ranked player per the On3 Industry rankings in the 2025 rankings.
To get to Georgia, Walker took a different path than most in high school. He spent his first three seasons at powerhouse Cedar Grove, which has sent Justin Shaffer and Christen Miller to Georgia in recent years.
As a junior, he led Cedar Grove to a state title after racking up 2,001 yards on 287 combined carries and receptions. He scored 30 touchdowns that season.
Following a coaching change, Walker tried to transfer to Stockbridge High School for his senior season. but the move deemed him ineligible in the GHSA’s eyes. So instead he transferred to the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School to finish out his senior season.
Rabun Gap is an independent school that does not belong to the GHSA. Rabun Gap actually competes in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association.
When watching on the practice field, Walker isn’t some genetic lottery winner. He is far from the most imposing player in Georgia’s running back room at 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds.
But by all accounts, Walker does all the small things really well for Georgia. He might not be the biggest or fastest running back in Georgia’s room, but he’s got a chance to be the most complete.
“One thing I told Bo is just don’t rush the process,” running back Nate Frazier said of Walker. “Mainly just trust the process. Trust what Coach Smart, Coach (Mike) Bobo, and Coach (Josh) Crawford is telling him, and then everything will work out. And just work hard. The main thing for him, I just told him, just make sure you just give effort. With everything you do just give effort, and then everything will be fine.”
Walker has a chance to carve out a real role on this team in part because of the situation in Georgia’s running back room.
Frazier returns as the team’s leading rusher but Georgia won’t want to put too much on his shoulders and legs given the difficult schedule Georgia faces. It’s imperative Georgia finds and develops a quality No. 2 running back.
Walker is getting an extended run because of injuries to Branson Robinson and Roderick Robinson. Branson Robinson is recovering from a knee injury, while it’s an ankle for Roderick Robinson.
With those two limited, Walker is battling Cash Jones, Chauncey Bowens and Dwight Phillips Jr. for reps.
Early on, it sounds like he’s winning that battle.
At some point, things will get more difficult for Walker. Just about everyone hits the freshman wall as they acclimate fully to the rigors of college football.
With the way things are going though for Walker, he might be poised to just run right through it.
“He’s a great kid. He works hard. He’s just learning as he’s going,” Frazier said.
