Passing On Money Was A “No-Brainer” For David Walker
May 30th, 2026
New Bucs rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain made several hundreds of thousands of dollars playing college football last season.
His teammate, David Walker, the Bucs’ 2025 fourth-round draft pick? That wasn’t his college experience.
Walker played five college seasons, two at Southern Arkansas and three at Central Arkansas, small-school programs lacking the cash to entice stud players.
Walker passed on the opportunity to cash in at bigger schools, as well as better position himself for the 2025 NFL Draft.
During a sitdown for Buccaneers.com, Walker explained that he stayed at Central Arkansas for two distinct reasons. And after hearing them, Joe can say there are few guys like Walker walking around the college football landscape.
“I was hard,” Walker said. “I talked to my family about it. The decision was my little brother was coming to [University of Central Arkansas] to play football, and I was like, ‘Man, this will probably be the only chance that I get an opportunity to play with him.’ So I was like, ‘I can leave and go make some money, or I can just stay.’
“And another thing that made me stay was I was 10 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the all-time record at [Central Arkansas]. So I was like, ‘Man, I could go somewhere and get 8 sacks and maybe get drafted higher, but I can stay here [at Central Arkansas] and be forever cemented. So it was just about that to me.”
What a class move by Walker, who called his college decision a “no-brainer.”
A common attendance at a Central Arkansas football game is 8,000 people. It’s not a place to get noticed, but Walker made sure he did get noticed while staying loyal to his football and real-world families.
Walker is an easy guy to root for, an underdog, and an underdog coming off major knee surgery before ever completing an NFL practice in pads.
May 30th, 2026 at 9:46 pm
Refreshing!
May 30th, 2026 at 9:51 pm
Perhaps he knew he’d be exposed at a bigger school.
Those stats are just padded to make players look better.
It worked though. Licht was fooled.
That’s how you win Superbowls……..
May 30th, 2026 at 9:56 pm
What are you going to say when walker proves you wrong lynchmob?
May 30th, 2026 at 10:07 pm
Wake me up when he plays a game moron.
May 30th, 2026 at 10:15 pm
Fate dealt him a cruel twist last summer.
Good for him passing on the cash he might have made at a bigger school so he could be teammates with his brother. I hope he makes up the difference during his NFL career.
Watch his college tape. He hits like a freight train. If he can bring that kind of play to the NFL level, there’ll definitely be a place on our roster for him.
May 30th, 2026 at 10:30 pm
Heylynch you are b**ch. Love to run into you sometime
May 30th, 2026 at 10:41 pm
How many sacks and TFL had Walker in his last college season?
May 30th, 2026 at 11:05 pm
10.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss his senior season. He broke those school records.
May 30th, 2026 at 11:37 pm
He dominated at the senior bowl practices and the game. Go watch it on YouTube the one on ones where he is winning against SEC tackles. They rotate players so much in the game the players only get 20 or so snaps. He should have been credited with 2 sacks but they only gave him 1 1/2 sacks.
Jason will look like a genius drafting him and Lynchmob will go silent never admitting he was wrong. His type never do.
May 30th, 2026 at 11:59 pm
#99 has a bee in his bonnet.
Internet tough guys are all the same.
In real life they are complete losers.
No wonder they love Bowles so much.
May 31st, 2026 at 12:42 am
LynchMob50 Says:
May 30th, 2026 at 10:07 pm
Wake me up when he plays a game moron.
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Hey Joe — You give this guy a platform to broadcast his negativity and this is how he expresses his thanks!
May 31st, 2026 at 3:08 am
#99 the big fella Says: “Heylynch you are b**ch. Love to run into you sometime.”
SERIOUSLY!? You’re wanting to punch someone, over something they wrote on a website… a complete and total STRANGER!? Why in the hell would YOU give a damn what HE says!? I think it says a whole lot more about yourself. He’s exposing your insecurities, and you sound-like a HUGE douche. He’s free to say whatever the hell he wants to. It’s amazing that YOU care.
May 31st, 2026 at 4:02 am
That’s great news, all of a sudden I’m all for Walker hope he plays above his talent & dominates for the BUCS!!! What a refreshing CLASSY guy . David Walker ALL- PRO!!!!! It could happen!!!!
May 31st, 2026 at 6:00 am
I hope this guy plays well enough in camp to make the 53. He will likely compete with Braswell for the 5th, and last, OLB spot.
May 31st, 2026 at 6:18 am
I’ve got a good feeling about Walker.
I know he had chit luck last year but my lady always reminds me that everything happens when it’s supposed to…. Well…. maybe so.
But One way or the other he’ll sink or swim in a few short months and with the experience he already has, and his time left (age wise), I’m pretty sure he’ll be proceeding into it WITH HIS HAIR ON FIRE and moving WITH A PURPOSE!
It really comes down to whether he realizes his time to shine IS Short. He’s built for it. He’s got some really good looking tape. And I hope he’s sporting a Chip on his shoulder, PEACED OFF that he lost even More Precious Time due to “divine timing”!
It’s YOUR Time to Shine Walker, …. GO FOR IT!
May 31st, 2026 at 6:22 am
Isn’t he like 26 years old already? Should’ve taken the money, he’ll be lucky if he gets a second contract anywhere.
May 31st, 2026 at 8:02 am
LynchMob50 Says:
May 30th, 2026 at 11:59 pm
#99 has a bee in his bonnet.
Internet tough guys are all the same.
In real life they are complete losers.
No wonder they love Bowles so much.
There is only one way to find out
May 31st, 2026 at 8:02 am
I bet LYNCHMOB ain’t talking tough like that on the streets, certified dushebag that is miserable cause u have no kinda life. Your a embarrassment to the buccaneer fanbase.
May 31st, 2026 at 8:09 am
Me too,Big 99,!
Let’s all chill. –Joe
May 31st, 2026 at 8:15 am
Edit me but give your boy a platform!
Bit much ,Joe!
May 31st, 2026 at 8:22 am
To everyone reading this, the best way to handle Lynchmob is to ignore him. He’s exposing himself to be super lame and someone that is clearly dealing with some internal issues, that force him here to try and get others to be angry and miserable like him. This is the last time I’ll ever address or acknowledge him and I suggest you all do the same. Misery loves company. It’s obvious he’s miserable. I hope you all have a blessed day. I’m excited about this upcoming team and season. GO BUCS!
May 31st, 2026 at 8:34 am
I look forward to seeing what Walker can do. Calling him out as a bad pic and saying he won’t amount to anything is just a wild guess. There are a lot of wild guessers posting in here, especially on the negative.
I like the fact that we have Muhammed from detroit, a new draft pick in Bain from Miami and then, in essence, Walker is like a new draft pick as well since he didn’t get to do anything last year. So three new edge rushers, three different scenarios. Still have Diaby and Nelson.
Braswell will really have to pick it up or bye bye.
May 31st, 2026 at 8:38 am
@that’s sound advice, Philly!
Will do henceforth!
Thanks and im looking forward to a great season!
May 31st, 2026 at 8:39 am
… and when I refer to wild guessers on the negative, I’m talking about the whole site in general, not this particular topic. There’s really just one negator in here and it’s one of the usual suspects. Big surprise
On an outside note, I’d pay $$$ to see LynchMob and #99 go a few rounds. ?
May 31st, 2026 at 8:56 am
Jimbob. I think you’re setting your bar a little too low. Walker had coaches incredibly excited last Summer. You can tell when it’s just regular draft capital type hype and the real thing. It was real. He Will make the 53 barring injury. Being a 4th round pick that pretty much red shirted his first year bc year of the injury he would have to poop his pants not to make the team. If his knee turned ended up being a Ryan Jensen (it isn’t) type problem he’d get a medical settlement. They gave Braswell 3+ years to show them something he is the one on the chopping block. Even he, will get another shot somewhere because of his draft status and traits to show that it was a scheme fit issue.
May 31st, 2026 at 9:10 am
Let’s set it up ,so I can shut his negative ass up!
May 31st, 2026 at 9:18 am
I have been critical about areas of the ream but the guys all deserve respect as people. Glad joe wrote this. Im not for feminization and feelings stuff usually but a man doing what he can for his family works for me fir sure.
May 31st, 2026 at 9:50 am
FIGHT!
May 31st, 2026 at 9:55 am
Bucs are a bunch of soft Puss’s like the losers on this site
May 31st, 2026 at 10:04 am
For Walker, it was hard.
May 31st, 2026 at 11:16 am
I would love if Lynch was embarrassed.
It’s like this guy has never done anything wrong.
The negativity is exhausting.
You can’t possibly be a fan of football period.
May 31st, 2026 at 11:53 am
SuburbianGymRat Says:
May 31st, 2026 at 9:55 am
Bucs are a bunch of soft Puss’s like the losers on this site
As far as I am concerned you can join lynchmob as well
May 31st, 2026 at 1:41 pm
If this dude stays healthy, Chris Braswell will be last year’s Marquees Watts.
May 31st, 2026 at 2:25 pm
Unfortunate typo, Joe
May 31st, 2026 at 5:26 pm
Wynchmob!you mean smart guys are all the same on the internet
May 31st, 2026 at 7:52 pm
@99
Go make love to your Bowles AI s@x robot.
May 31st, 2026 at 8:06 pm
Lynch I just finished up with your mom
May 31st, 2026 at 11:20 pm
David Walker will be 26 years old on Wednesday, June 3.
Happy Birthday and Good Luck!!
June 1st, 2026 at 8:18 am
LynchMob50 Says:
May 30th, 2026 at 9:51 pm
Perhaps he knew he’d be exposed at a bigger school.
Those stats are just padded to make players look better.
It worked though. Licht was fooled.
That’s how you win Superbowls……..
LynchMob50 Says:
May 30th, 2026 at 10:07 pm
Wake me up when he plays a game moron.
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Ummm… if he hasn’t played a game, how do you know there’s anything to “expose?”
To be completely fair: you might be right, but you have literally zero evidence to make that statement right now. Injuries happen often. This is football. Being that down on a rookie that lost his entire first season to injury is a smidge pessimistic, don’t’cha think?