May 1, 2025 • 19 mins
Tori McElhaney welcomes on brand new Atlanta Falcon Jalon Walker, and learns about his past, his hobbies, and what makes him tick both on and off the field.
0:00 - Intro
0:40 - Favorite thing about Athens
1:42 - Connecting with the coaching staff
4:15 - Growing up a coach's kid
8:30 - "Explain yourself"
12:15 - Voicing SEC commercials
14:40 - Rapid fire questions
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm Jayleen Walker and you're listening to the Atlanta Falcons podcast.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
We're gonna click that for sure. I like it.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
It's gonna lead every single It's gotta be like a
button that I pressed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
I'm a jail walker. You're listening and listening to land
Falcons podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Yeah, Jayalen Walker, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Man, appreciate you having me.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Oh, I'm so excited that you're here. Fellow dog, fella dog.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
How about them?
Speaker 3 (00:30):
How about them dogs? First things first, what's your favorite
part about Athens?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Right? Athens is so Athens is like own place, Like
it's not you can't compare to nowhere else. I don't
really know. There's so much to do in Athens, like
people is like Athens so born Like, No, it's not
the way. There's so much to do in Athens that
people just don't realize what you can do. But I
(00:56):
enjoyed it. I enjoyed the whole of Athens.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, well it was funny.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
But because so when our scouting department, all the guys
went to Athens for Georgia's pro day, which I know
you didn't work out, but you were there and they
met with you. And everything, and they came back later
that afternoon and I was mad because I didn't go
because I was it was during it was the first
day of free agency, so I was needed here. And
Raheem was walking down the hall and I was like,
(01:22):
how was God's country? And he was like, why didn't
you come with us? Because y'all were making moves and
I needed to be here. I was like I would
have and he was like, we stand about everybody over there.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I was like, next time, I'll be there. Free start
to Athens.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, so I do want to start though at that
pro day because you know, obviously didn't work out, but
you got. You spoke to the media that day and
my girl Maria Martin from eleven Alive asked you specifically
about the Falcons, and your face lit up when she
was asking about Jeff Ulbrick. And I can't remember exactly
(02:00):
kind of what you said, but you use the word visionary,
and you use kind of the words of like connection
and how connected you felt to that staff already. And
this is back in March. What was that initial connection
like with this coaching staff, with Rahim, with Terry and
with Jeff Ulbrick.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
We hit it off from the jump. It was just
from the combine walking into the room. You know, the
combine is supposed to be everybody stressed out. It's a
job interviewing your it's constant meetings. But when I walked
into the Falcons meeting, I kid you not, I felt
so comfortable. I felt like free. It felt I felt good,
(02:39):
and everybody in the room was in good energy and
good spirits as well. And of course, you know the
pro day, of course I got to take my time
and speak with H. Terry then and then of course
Coach Morris and then H sitting there, and then of
course having my own workout. I didn't get to see them,
but there was guys there, and of course coming to
the local day, have my opportunity to speak with Terry
(03:00):
and everybody on the staff, you know, Coach Brick and
Coach Moores as well, like those guys relate. My relationship
with them is great, not we hit it off, and
I just feel like I'm really comfortable with them. I'm
excited as that visionary piece of what they were going
to do here at the Falcons.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
I was talking a little bit with Jeff Albrick last night.
We're recording this the day after the Atlanta Falcons took
you number fifteen overall, and he was talking about his
level of excitement and there was something that he said
that I thought was so interesting.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Where he was explaining.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
I was like, you know, Jalen has such a versatile
skill set, that's all anybody talks about with him. But
as a defensive coordinator, like, how do you handle that?
Because sometimes it can maybe be too much where you
want to do too much with the guy.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
And he said something he was like, I want to
find him a home in this defense.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
I'm curious kind of what when you hear a defensive
coordinator say that, what does.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
That make you think.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I'm excited just for the opportunity. We're going to figure
it out and once we do, we're going to hit
the ground running and it's just going to be what
it is. And of course I'm gonna put my all
into it. And I got a great text from Coach
Brick last night. It was it was great, I'm decided to.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Work with Yeah, So I want to talk to you
a little bit about yourself and your family.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
So I am a coach's kid.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Okay, you're a coach's kid, and I feel like we
are a very specific breed of person. Yes, we've been
through a lot, we've seen some things. We've probably gotten
hit on the sideline a few too many times, and
that's why we're in the positions that we're in. But
your dad, I think had, just from what I've read,
had such an influence on you and your younger brother. Sure,
(04:39):
but there was this quote that I saw of you
that you said that he let you fall in love
with football in your own time and in your own way.
How much did that mean to you now looking back
as an adult about to embark on your NFL journey, It.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Means a lot, just because I've seen coaches kids get
forced in to playing their sport and then falling out
of love with it at an age where they're just like, man,
I just don't want to do this anymore, Like it
just I was forcing to it, like I really just
don't enjoy it thin For me, I was around my
dad's locker room, the building, his office, and I'm just
(05:14):
walking around just enjoying myself. For me, and I'm enjoying myself,
like getting to know the teammates, his players, and his
coaches and their kids like that was great for me,
and then of course when I was like, man, I
want to go play football, he was fired up, like
I always knew football would come around for me. But
I was just like, I'll just do it when you
know it's the perfect time. And of course, you know,
(05:36):
I went to a private middle school, so my first
time playing organized football was AAU football, so it was
like trackball and things like that. But to this day, like,
I appreciate it so much because we only talk about
football when I want to talk about football, Like he's
my dad first, and he makes at the forefront of
our relationship.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
Do you have any memories of kind of the being
the quintessential coaches kid?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I know I do.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
I got I didn't get into a lot of trouble,
but I was always on like the mats, like the
dummy mat, and my dad would be like, we need
to use these, get off of them, right.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
So I wasn't the problem child.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Was it your little brother?
Speaker 1 (06:16):
It was my little brother. So he would he would
play pranks on the players. He would go run to tag,
go hit him in then run away real quick like
things like that.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
But like now he's a dB, right, So that kind
of tracks with how he plays.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Probably now he's.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Good at it, so I mean it's it all works
out in his favor. But like having that at being
just being around the building was pretty cool for me.
And just those memories of just sitting in my dad's
office and just just sitting there watching them work, and
just being around the building, just going in all the
meeting spaces and going in this place, going into the
weight room, just just being there to have free wrong.
(06:54):
It was pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
When I was doing some research, your dad was actually
a pretty good football player.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, he was pretty good.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Pretty good, dude. Have you watched film of him from
his playing?
Speaker 1 (07:06):
I haven't watched film. I haven't seen any film, But.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
I'm trying to think, like, is there a film out
there that we could procure for.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
You to watch. I've seen, I've watched. I've seen his
Hall of Fame plaque. Okay, I've seen all the records.
I was telling somebody, yet I was showing my friends.
I was calling all the guys I was training with
yesterday like like man, like today's day, like here we go,
and I'm just catching catching up with them. And I
showed him my dad's Hall of Fame plaque and they're
like my dad still has two school records, a main
(07:37):
record of twenty five tackles in one game, crazy, crazy,
eleven fumble recoveries. How do you do that?
Speaker 2 (07:45):
It's like, let me know.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Yeah. So like seeing him do that and seeing him
his success, it makes sense. People are oh, I got you.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Yeah, it makes sense everything the jeans.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
And all his old teammates like, oh yeah, your dad.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Still definitely do you think like when you're talking to him,
is he ever like ah, like this part of his
game maybe translates to your game.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
See, we were pretty different. He was just inside backer.
He was a real backer, and he was just he
was fast. I mean that's we're both fast and we're
both pretty strong. Do so, I mean that translates nice.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
So I was actually looking at some different parts of
your life story and some of Sometimes a segment that
we do on this podcast is a segment of kind
of like it's.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Called explain yourself.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Okay, so this segment of explain yourself, Jalen Walker, you
don't I need to know if this is true or not.
Explain yourself. I've seen that you played the tin man
in the Wizard of Oz production of your middle school.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
This is correct, This is correct.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
How tell me? Tell me all of the things about this.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
So I have a musical background, yes, and my family
is my family sings great singers. And then of course
I got that gene as well. And I've been singing
since I was younger. Sang it mier league baseball game,
college basketball, college football games, like it was fun.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Were you in your church's choir?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
I was, actually I was in a group of one
hundred men choir as well. And yeah, I just I
grew up singing and being around my aunts and watching
them sing like it was just in me. And of course,
like the middle school play, like of course I wanted
to beat the ten man and I did that role.
(09:39):
And of course, like I knew this was coming because
all of yesterday, like I'm getting tested, like congratulations. And
then there's like my teammates like, bro, you played the
ten man, you were the ten man.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I'm like, no, it came out.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
But I mean I embraced it. I enjoyed it. It
was great.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Good memories, though, good memories do you have? Can you
give me a line.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
If I only had a heart, Yeah, that's the main.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Line, and you say it over and over and over again.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
That is my line, and then I want to throw
this out. My brother was actually one.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Of the Was he a chipmunk or not a chipmunk?
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Were they the monkeys or the three.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Candy Oh, the Lollipop Guild boom?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
He was part of the Yeah we Yeah, he was
one of them. Know that I got it out there now,
and I'm not the only one that has a theater
background as well. So I'm just putting that out there
so if anybody wants to, you know, throw some shade.
You know. My brother was in as well.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
The being in the Lollipop Guilt versus being the ten Men. Yeah,
very different, night and day, night and day.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
No, that's so good. So that was a that that
just made me live. I love that so much. Do
you think that.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
As someone who was also in? I was in a
girls choir. Singing was a big part of my background
as well my life. What is about music that you
just vibe with? Like?
Speaker 2 (11:05):
What about it? Is it? I honestly think it's like
an innate thing that you have in you.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
It's refreshing, Like it's something that you can do all
the time. You can do anything. You could listen to
music and do anything. You could walk, listen to music,
you could talk, listen to music, ride in your car,
you can do everything. Listen to music and it's just
refreshing and just two different genres and like it goes
by your moves and you got your different artists. It's
like what you prefer, but like you get a different
(11:30):
taste from everyone.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Do you have a favorite performance that you've ever done?
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Because I know a lot of national anthems.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Correct, right, Okay, My favorite national anthem i've sang was
in middle school. It's talent show. Yes, But I have
a favorite performance in the hundred men Choir when I
was younger, I was singing a song that my aunt
who passed away, that was her song that was like
her her main song that she sang, and it was like,
(12:03):
let me sing it and it turned out pretty good.
It was it was pretty nice.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Brought the house down, I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Definitely, Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Oh I love that. That's so sweet.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
So I also know that so singing. But I think
your voice is perfect for podcasting. And I say that
because I actually saw your SEC commercial that played all
the time that you did the voiceover for. Please tell
me how you got asked to do that, Like how
did that feel about?
Speaker 1 (12:31):
So I was on the SEC Lucia Council board and
then sitting there knowing their staff and things like that,
and of course, one day my guy John Sullen hits
me up. He's like, hey, man, like I want you
to just try it, and he sent me the audition
and it happened. And then I was sitting there saying
(12:52):
the voiceover for it just means more for the for
the game, and it came on like for the game
during the game, like I'm sitting there. I remember was
at my sophomore year. I think it was my sophomore year.
We were in Auburn and I'm walking out and it's
like you heard your voice. I heard my voice. I'm
like whoa. And I've seen everything, like dang, that's pretty cool.
(13:14):
And like watching like games. I think we have like
a noon kit one day and like it was like
an SC game in the night and I'm just watching it. Boom,
it just means more pops up again. I'm like, man,
that's pretty cool. And then the year after that I
get to do I have an opportunity do the second one.
Pretty cool, and then it's been it's been going from there,
like I've had some more. I recently did a hype
video for Chick fil A for their convention for announcing
(13:38):
Coach Smart as a speaker. So it's been a it's
been a little side gig and I enjoy it, like
I actually find some entertainment and passion for it.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Okay, can you give me your best Let's see, I
want to give you like a line that well, can
you do like I'm Jalen Walker and you're listening to
the Atlanta Falcons podcast network.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Okay, what's like though?
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Okay, I think maybe let's do something powerful. Let's really
get in there. I'm Jeen Walker, yes, and you're listening
to the Atlanta Falcons podcast Network.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
I'm Jaalen Walker and you're listening to the Atlanta Falcons podcast.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
We're gonna click that for sure. Yeah. I like it.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
It's gonna lead every single five. This is gonna be
like a button that I press.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I'm a jail Walker. You're listening and listen to Atlanta
Falcons podcast.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Yeah, Oh, I love it.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Okay, So we need to wrap up because you have
you need to go meet with coaches, you need to
go have some talks like all those things. You got
to get back to your family. I know they're running
around here too, somewhere. But before I let you go,
I have to do this one final game with you
that I do with every player. It's how we end
every show. It's a rapid fire question. So question number one,
are you ready ready? What is your favorite play of
(14:51):
your career? And this can be little league, it can
be high school, it can be college.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
I think is actually the first is out of the
first game at Clemson. We're playing the Bens and I
had set the age, dude, what's holding me? And then
I still made a tackle and then like I completely
like lost my mind, like I just blacked out. I
black out playing, but like at that point, like I
(15:21):
completely don't remember doing nothing. I was sitting there watching
the play. At afterwards, I'm like, that was pretty cool.
So that's yeah, that's probably one my favorite one.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
That's a good one. That's a good like welcome to
Georgia football moment.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Let's go yeah, like this is the first game of
the year, Like this is how the season is gonna be.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
M M. We're setting the tone, setting the tone, and
early I think I was actually at that game.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Man. Yeah, that's pretty hard.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
So okay, that's question number one.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Question number two, who is your favorite athlete regardless of sport?
Speaker 2 (15:48):
I let Lebron, of course you have to like Lebron.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Lebron James.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
It's Lebron James A good one. Okay, what is this
one's my favorite?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
What is your favorite?
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Kirbysm So something that Kirby's small aren't says on repeat
that is ingrained in your brain.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
If I said the things that he said, I don't know.
I don't know if I can say these things. But
he has some great lines. He is if you listen
to coach smart speak, it's like it's always like it's
like a statement. It's never like he's saying anything. It's
like statement like and it's like headline. Every anything he
says is gonna it's gonna work. But I don't really
(16:26):
have a main line that I can say. But I
got some some some comments in my head that he says.
It's like it'll never leave and they're so hilarious, Like
it's just something that is something about that man right there.
He's he's a great coach, he's a great person.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
He is my favorite one and I'm not gonna say
the middle part of it, but I want to eat
everybody knows.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
I want you to.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Yeah, most definitely that's my personal favorite. And honestly, I
think I need to make it my ring tone so
that like I wake up to it and.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
You're just like, let's go, let's go, let's attack the day.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Good one. That's a good one. Okay, last one?
Speaker 1 (17:09):
What is?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Oh? No, second last one?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
What is your favorite movie and or TV that you're
currently watching that you would recommend to the people.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Right, I'm not a big TV watcher, don't have time,
not really busy man. Yeah, not early but my favorite
movie all time movie kind of You're like, what, it's
the Color Purple.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Great movie, though, great movie, great movie.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
I can watch that movie one hundred times? Is it?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Uh? Is Cynthia Arivo in it?
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Not that? Not the original one? Not the new one
was good as well, right, but the og og one
I could sit there and I'm like, it never gets old.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Okay, I love dot No. I think it's Halle Halle
Berry is one of the Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Yeah, Bailey Bailey, she's in the first she's in the
second one.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Yeah, that's right. Okay, Okay, I'm I'm on track. Ye,
I love it.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
People go watch go watch the old one and the
new one. All right, last question and then I'll get
you out of here. If you could have a superpower,
what superpower would you have?
Speaker 1 (18:09):
And hmmm, I mean I want something that I don't
think I have. I think i'm pretty strong. I think
I can't run pretty you know, telepathy?
Speaker 2 (18:25):
With the telepathy, would you yes.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
The quarterback the place? Yes, I'm going to be there.
How did you know? I don't know. I don't know
because what I know now, and most definitely I would.
I would use my advantage. Of course.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Could you be able to turn it off and turn
it on?
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Yeah? Because sometimes you know, it can get it can
get kind of crazy, right, Sometimes I just don't want to.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
But I wouldn't want to know what people think, most definitely,
like I would be too scared.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
But if I'm curious, ibody, I wonder what that person's thinking.
You know, turn it on. Un let's go.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
It would work out well for you in your career.
It would be good.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Okay, Well, this has been so much fun. Thank you
so much for sitting down and chatting with me, telling stories.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this, and I am so excited
to officially welcome you to Atlanta and thank you.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
I appreciate it.
I'm Jayleen Walker and you're listening to the Atlanta Falcons podcast.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
We're gonna click that for sure. I like it.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
It's gonna lead every single It's gotta be like a
button that I pressed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
I'm a jail walker. You're listening and listening to land
Falcons podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Yeah, Jayalen Walker, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Man, appreciate you having me.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Oh, I'm so excited that you're here. Fellow dog, fella dog.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
How about them?
Speaker 3 (00:30):
How about them dogs? First things first, what's your favorite
part about Athens?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Right? Athens is so Athens is like own place, Like
it's not you can't compare to nowhere else. I don't
really know. There's so much to do in Athens, like
people is like Athens so born Like, No, it's not
the way. There's so much to do in Athens that
people just don't realize what you can do. But I
(00:56):
enjoyed it. I enjoyed the whole of Athens.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, well it was funny.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
But because so when our scouting department, all the guys
went to Athens for Georgia's pro day, which I know
you didn't work out, but you were there and they
met with you. And everything, and they came back later
that afternoon and I was mad because I didn't go
because I was it was during it was the first
day of free agency, so I was needed here. And
Raheem was walking down the hall and I was like,
(01:22):
how was God's country? And he was like, why didn't
you come with us? Because y'all were making moves and
I needed to be here. I was like I would
have and he was like, we stand about everybody over there.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I was like, next time, I'll be there. Free start
to Athens.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, so I do want to start though at that
pro day because you know, obviously didn't work out, but
you got. You spoke to the media that day and
my girl Maria Martin from eleven Alive asked you specifically
about the Falcons, and your face lit up when she
was asking about Jeff Ulbrick. And I can't remember exactly
(02:00):
kind of what you said, but you use the word visionary,
and you use kind of the words of like connection
and how connected you felt to that staff already. And
this is back in March. What was that initial connection
like with this coaching staff, with Rahim, with Terry and
with Jeff Ulbrick.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
We hit it off from the jump. It was just
from the combine walking into the room. You know, the
combine is supposed to be everybody stressed out. It's a
job interviewing your it's constant meetings. But when I walked
into the Falcons meeting, I kid you not, I felt
so comfortable. I felt like free. It felt I felt good,
(02:39):
and everybody in the room was in good energy and
good spirits as well. And of course, you know the
pro day, of course I got to take my time
and speak with H. Terry then and then of course
Coach Morris and then H sitting there, and then of
course having my own workout. I didn't get to see them,
but there was guys there, and of course coming to
the local day, have my opportunity to speak with Terry
(03:00):
and everybody on the staff, you know, Coach Brick and
Coach Moores as well, like those guys relate. My relationship
with them is great, not we hit it off, and
I just feel like I'm really comfortable with them. I'm
excited as that visionary piece of what they were going
to do here at the Falcons.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
I was talking a little bit with Jeff Albrick last night.
We're recording this the day after the Atlanta Falcons took
you number fifteen overall, and he was talking about his
level of excitement and there was something that he said
that I thought was so interesting.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Where he was explaining.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
I was like, you know, Jalen has such a versatile
skill set, that's all anybody talks about with him. But
as a defensive coordinator, like, how do you handle that?
Because sometimes it can maybe be too much where you
want to do too much with the guy.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
And he said something he was like, I want to
find him a home in this defense.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
I'm curious kind of what when you hear a defensive
coordinator say that, what does.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
That make you think.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I'm excited just for the opportunity. We're going to figure
it out and once we do, we're going to hit
the ground running and it's just going to be what
it is. And of course I'm gonna put my all
into it. And I got a great text from Coach
Brick last night. It was it was great, I'm decided to.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Work with Yeah, So I want to talk to you
a little bit about yourself and your family.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
So I am a coach's kid.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Okay, you're a coach's kid, and I feel like we
are a very specific breed of person. Yes, we've been
through a lot, we've seen some things. We've probably gotten
hit on the sideline a few too many times, and
that's why we're in the positions that we're in. But
your dad, I think had, just from what I've read,
had such an influence on you and your younger brother. Sure,
(04:39):
but there was this quote that I saw of you
that you said that he let you fall in love
with football in your own time and in your own way.
How much did that mean to you now looking back
as an adult about to embark on your NFL journey, It.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Means a lot, just because I've seen coaches kids get
forced in to playing their sport and then falling out
of love with it at an age where they're just like, man,
I just don't want to do this anymore, Like it
just I was forcing to it, like I really just
don't enjoy it thin For me, I was around my
dad's locker room, the building, his office, and I'm just
(05:14):
walking around just enjoying myself. For me, and I'm enjoying myself,
like getting to know the teammates, his players, and his
coaches and their kids like that was great for me,
and then of course when I was like, man, I
want to go play football, he was fired up, like
I always knew football would come around for me. But
I was just like, I'll just do it when you
know it's the perfect time. And of course, you know,
(05:36):
I went to a private middle school, so my first
time playing organized football was AAU football, so it was
like trackball and things like that. But to this day, like,
I appreciate it so much because we only talk about
football when I want to talk about football, Like he's
my dad first, and he makes at the forefront of
our relationship.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
Do you have any memories of kind of the being
the quintessential coaches kid?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I know I do.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
I got I didn't get into a lot of trouble,
but I was always on like the mats, like the
dummy mat, and my dad would be like, we need
to use these, get off of them, right.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
So I wasn't the problem child.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Was it your little brother?
Speaker 1 (06:16):
It was my little brother. So he would he would
play pranks on the players. He would go run to tag,
go hit him in then run away real quick like
things like that.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
But like now he's a dB, right, So that kind
of tracks with how he plays.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Probably now he's.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Good at it, so I mean it's it all works
out in his favor. But like having that at being
just being around the building was pretty cool for me.
And just those memories of just sitting in my dad's
office and just just sitting there watching them work, and
just being around the building, just going in all the
meeting spaces and going in this place, going into the
weight room, just just being there to have free wrong.
(06:54):
It was pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
When I was doing some research, your dad was actually
a pretty good football player.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, he was pretty good.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Pretty good, dude. Have you watched film of him from
his playing?
Speaker 1 (07:06):
I haven't watched film. I haven't seen any film, But.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
I'm trying to think, like, is there a film out
there that we could procure for.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
You to watch. I've seen, I've watched. I've seen his
Hall of Fame plaque. Okay, I've seen all the records.
I was telling somebody, yet I was showing my friends.
I was calling all the guys I was training with
yesterday like like man, like today's day, like here we go,
and I'm just catching catching up with them. And I
showed him my dad's Hall of Fame plaque and they're
like my dad still has two school records, a main
(07:37):
record of twenty five tackles in one game, crazy, crazy,
eleven fumble recoveries. How do you do that?
Speaker 2 (07:45):
It's like, let me know.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Yeah. So like seeing him do that and seeing him
his success, it makes sense. People are oh, I got you.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Yeah, it makes sense everything the jeans.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
And all his old teammates like, oh yeah, your dad.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Still definitely do you think like when you're talking to him,
is he ever like ah, like this part of his
game maybe translates to your game.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
See, we were pretty different. He was just inside backer.
He was a real backer, and he was just he
was fast. I mean that's we're both fast and we're
both pretty strong. Do so, I mean that translates nice.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
So I was actually looking at some different parts of
your life story and some of Sometimes a segment that
we do on this podcast is a segment of kind
of like it's.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Called explain yourself.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Okay, so this segment of explain yourself, Jalen Walker, you
don't I need to know if this is true or not.
Explain yourself. I've seen that you played the tin man
in the Wizard of Oz production of your middle school.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
This is correct, This is correct.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
How tell me? Tell me all of the things about this.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
So I have a musical background, yes, and my family
is my family sings great singers. And then of course
I got that gene as well. And I've been singing
since I was younger. Sang it mier league baseball game,
college basketball, college football games, like it was fun.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Were you in your church's choir?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
I was, actually I was in a group of one
hundred men choir as well. And yeah, I just I
grew up singing and being around my aunts and watching
them sing like it was just in me. And of course,
like the middle school play, like of course I wanted
to beat the ten man and I did that role.
(09:39):
And of course, like I knew this was coming because
all of yesterday, like I'm getting tested, like congratulations. And
then there's like my teammates like, bro, you played the
ten man, you were the ten man.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I'm like, no, it came out.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
But I mean I embraced it. I enjoyed it. It
was great.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Good memories, though, good memories do you have? Can you
give me a line.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
If I only had a heart, Yeah, that's the main.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Line, and you say it over and over and over again.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
That is my line, and then I want to throw
this out. My brother was actually one.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Of the Was he a chipmunk or not a chipmunk?
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Were they the monkeys or the three.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Candy Oh, the Lollipop Guild boom?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
He was part of the Yeah we Yeah, he was
one of them. Know that I got it out there now,
and I'm not the only one that has a theater
background as well. So I'm just putting that out there
so if anybody wants to, you know, throw some shade.
You know. My brother was in as well.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
The being in the Lollipop Guilt versus being the ten Men. Yeah,
very different, night and day, night and day.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
No, that's so good. So that was a that that
just made me live. I love that so much. Do
you think that.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
As someone who was also in? I was in a
girls choir. Singing was a big part of my background
as well my life. What is about music that you
just vibe with? Like?
Speaker 2 (11:05):
What about it? Is it? I honestly think it's like
an innate thing that you have in you.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
It's refreshing, Like it's something that you can do all
the time. You can do anything. You could listen to
music and do anything. You could walk, listen to music,
you could talk, listen to music, ride in your car,
you can do everything. Listen to music and it's just
refreshing and just two different genres and like it goes
by your moves and you got your different artists. It's
like what you prefer, but like you get a different
(11:30):
taste from everyone.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Do you have a favorite performance that you've ever done?
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Because I know a lot of national anthems.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Correct, right, Okay, My favorite national anthem i've sang was
in middle school. It's talent show. Yes, But I have
a favorite performance in the hundred men Choir when I
was younger, I was singing a song that my aunt
who passed away, that was her song that was like
her her main song that she sang, and it was like,
(12:03):
let me sing it and it turned out pretty good.
It was it was pretty nice.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Brought the house down, I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Definitely, Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Oh I love that. That's so sweet.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
So I also know that so singing. But I think
your voice is perfect for podcasting. And I say that
because I actually saw your SEC commercial that played all
the time that you did the voiceover for. Please tell
me how you got asked to do that, Like how
did that feel about?
Speaker 1 (12:31):
So I was on the SEC Lucia Council board and
then sitting there knowing their staff and things like that,
and of course, one day my guy John Sullen hits
me up. He's like, hey, man, like I want you
to just try it, and he sent me the audition
and it happened. And then I was sitting there saying
(12:52):
the voiceover for it just means more for the for
the game, and it came on like for the game
during the game, like I'm sitting there. I remember was
at my sophomore year. I think it was my sophomore year.
We were in Auburn and I'm walking out and it's
like you heard your voice. I heard my voice. I'm
like whoa. And I've seen everything, like dang, that's pretty cool.
(13:14):
And like watching like games. I think we have like
a noon kit one day and like it was like
an SC game in the night and I'm just watching it. Boom,
it just means more pops up again. I'm like, man,
that's pretty cool. And then the year after that I
get to do I have an opportunity do the second one.
Pretty cool, and then it's been it's been going from there,
like I've had some more. I recently did a hype
video for Chick fil A for their convention for announcing
(13:38):
Coach Smart as a speaker. So it's been a it's
been a little side gig and I enjoy it, like
I actually find some entertainment and passion for it.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Okay, can you give me your best Let's see, I
want to give you like a line that well, can
you do like I'm Jalen Walker and you're listening to
the Atlanta Falcons podcast network.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Okay, what's like though?
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Okay, I think maybe let's do something powerful. Let's really
get in there. I'm Jeen Walker, yes, and you're listening
to the Atlanta Falcons podcast Network.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
I'm Jaalen Walker and you're listening to the Atlanta Falcons podcast.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
We're gonna click that for sure. Yeah. I like it.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
It's gonna lead every single five. This is gonna be
like a button that I press.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I'm a jail Walker. You're listening and listen to Atlanta
Falcons podcast.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Yeah, Oh, I love it.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Okay, So we need to wrap up because you have
you need to go meet with coaches, you need to
go have some talks like all those things. You got
to get back to your family. I know they're running
around here too, somewhere. But before I let you go,
I have to do this one final game with you
that I do with every player. It's how we end
every show. It's a rapid fire question. So question number one,
are you ready ready? What is your favorite play of
(14:51):
your career? And this can be little league, it can
be high school, it can be college.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
I think is actually the first is out of the
first game at Clemson. We're playing the Bens and I
had set the age, dude, what's holding me? And then
I still made a tackle and then like I completely
like lost my mind, like I just blacked out. I
black out playing, but like at that point, like I
(15:21):
completely don't remember doing nothing. I was sitting there watching
the play. At afterwards, I'm like, that was pretty cool.
So that's yeah, that's probably one my favorite one.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
That's a good one. That's a good like welcome to
Georgia football moment.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Let's go yeah, like this is the first game of
the year, Like this is how the season is gonna be.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
M M. We're setting the tone, setting the tone, and
early I think I was actually at that game.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Man. Yeah, that's pretty hard.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
So okay, that's question number one.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Question number two, who is your favorite athlete regardless of sport?
Speaker 2 (15:48):
I let Lebron, of course you have to like Lebron.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Lebron James.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
It's Lebron James A good one. Okay, what is this
one's my favorite?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
What is your favorite?
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Kirbysm So something that Kirby's small aren't says on repeat
that is ingrained in your brain.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
If I said the things that he said, I don't know.
I don't know if I can say these things. But
he has some great lines. He is if you listen
to coach smart speak, it's like it's always like it's
like a statement. It's never like he's saying anything. It's
like statement like and it's like headline. Every anything he
says is gonna it's gonna work. But I don't really
(16:26):
have a main line that I can say. But I
got some some some comments in my head that he says.
It's like it'll never leave and they're so hilarious, Like
it's just something that is something about that man right there.
He's he's a great coach, he's a great person.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
He is my favorite one and I'm not gonna say
the middle part of it, but I want to eat
everybody knows.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
I want you to.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Yeah, most definitely that's my personal favorite. And honestly, I
think I need to make it my ring tone so
that like I wake up to it and.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
You're just like, let's go, let's go, let's attack the day.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Good one. That's a good one. Okay, last one?
Speaker 1 (17:09):
What is?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Oh? No, second last one?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
What is your favorite movie and or TV that you're
currently watching that you would recommend to the people.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Right, I'm not a big TV watcher, don't have time,
not really busy man. Yeah, not early but my favorite
movie all time movie kind of You're like, what, it's
the Color Purple.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Great movie, though, great movie, great movie.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
I can watch that movie one hundred times? Is it?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Uh? Is Cynthia Arivo in it?
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Not that? Not the original one? Not the new one
was good as well, right, but the og og one
I could sit there and I'm like, it never gets old.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Okay, I love dot No. I think it's Halle Halle
Berry is one of the Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Yeah, Bailey Bailey, she's in the first she's in the
second one.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Yeah, that's right. Okay, Okay, I'm I'm on track. Ye,
I love it.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
People go watch go watch the old one and the
new one. All right, last question and then I'll get
you out of here. If you could have a superpower,
what superpower would you have?
Speaker 1 (18:09):
And hmmm, I mean I want something that I don't
think I have. I think i'm pretty strong. I think
I can't run pretty you know, telepathy?
Speaker 2 (18:25):
With the telepathy, would you yes.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
The quarterback the place? Yes, I'm going to be there.
How did you know? I don't know. I don't know
because what I know now, and most definitely I would.
I would use my advantage. Of course.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Could you be able to turn it off and turn
it on?
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Yeah? Because sometimes you know, it can get it can
get kind of crazy, right, Sometimes I just don't want to.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
But I wouldn't want to know what people think, most definitely,
like I would be too scared.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
But if I'm curious, ibody, I wonder what that person's thinking.
You know, turn it on. Un let's go.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
It would work out well for you in your career.
It would be good.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Okay, Well, this has been so much fun. Thank you
so much for sitting down and chatting with me, telling stories.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this, and I am so excited
to officially welcome you to Atlanta and thank you.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
I appreciate it.
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