FREE: Walker Picks SMU

Houston Lamar WR Shelby Walker became SMU's third commitment in the Class of 2014 when he pulled the trigger on Saturday night. Come inside to get his thoughts!

Just hours after picking up a commitment from Darrell Colbert, SMU landed another Houston Lamar product in wide receiver Shelby Walker.

It would be easy to assume that Colbert’s verbal paved the way for Walker’s commitment. But that’s not the case. Walker had actually been thinking about committing to SMU for a while now.

“It wasn’t because of Darrell. I had already been talking to my dad about it and when we went down there, we just both really loved the school,” Walker said. “ The most important thing was the coaches. I really like them and my dad got to meet Coach (June) Jones and Coach (Jason) Phillips and he liked them too.”

Walker called Phillips late Saturday night to inform him of his decision. The SMU wide receivers coach offered Walker nearly a year ago and the two have developed a strong relationship.

“When I called Coach Phillips, he was excited about me committing,” Walker said. “Coach Phillips offered me last year at a camp, and I respect him a lot for that. He didn’t even see me in a game. He just liked me at the camp, and I just respect him. The first offer is always big.”

While at junior day, Walker was able to tour the campus and facilities and came away impressed with both.

“I really liked the campus and the facilities,” he said. “We got to tour the weight room, the training room and even got to go down on the field. It just seemed like I felt wanted. Going somewhere where I felt comfortable was a big factor.”

As a junior, Walker caught 28 passes for 538 yards and six touchdowns as he led Houston Lamar to the 5A state title game. The 6-foot, 165-pounder says his 4.4 speed will allow him to truly shine in SMU’s Run N’ Shoot offense.

“It’s going to be an advantage for me to play in the offense. It’s a great opportunity because they pass the ball a lot,” Walker said. “I feel like with my speed, I can really stretch the field. Having Darrell at quarterback will help too because we already have that chemistry.”

Walker also held offers from Houston and Tulsa but says his commitment to SMU is ‘solid.’