IU football expects Jailin Walker to be at ‘full speed’ vs Nebraska this weekend

Seven weeks into the season and the IU football program has been extremely fortunate with its health up to this point. But coming out of its bye week one of the bigger questions was the health of one of its star defensive players — Jailin Walker.

Walker was injured in the first half in Indiana’s 41-24 win over Northwestern two weeks ago. It was an upper body injury that caused him to miss the entire second half after he walked off the field without moving his arm.

On Monday, IU football head coach Curt Cignetti provided a positive update on the Indiana linebacker.

“Yeah, J-Walk is a guy you never count out, and I expect him to be full speed on Saturday,” Cignetti said. “We’re developing some depth there with Isaiah Jones and the freshman, (Rolijah) Hardy.

“But there are positions we don’t have a lot of depth. But feel good about that group.”

Walker was part of the James Madison exodus that followed Cignetti to Indiana this offseason and he has been one of the most consistent and talented players on the defensive side of the ball. He has the second-most tackles on the team with 34, in addition to three pass deflections and 0.5 sacks. He has at least five tackles in four different games this season. Walker had three tackles before his injury against the Wildcats.

The 6-foot-1 linebacker missed all of spring practice for the Hoosiers after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery that he played through for the majority of the 2023 season.

Indiana is up to No. 16 in the AP Top 25 rankings and welcomes Nebraska (5-1) to Bloomington this weekend.

The Huskers bring in an offense led by freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola — one of the best young QBs in the nation. Nebraska has scored at least 28 points in four games this season. Meanwhile, Indiana’s defense is allowing just 14.8 points per game (11th in the nation) and 255.7 yards a game (6th).

IU and Nebraska kick off at Noon ET on FOX this weekend.

“As always, it’s more about us and what we do, controlling what we can control,” Cignetti said. “Having a great day today of preparation and stacking good days. It’s an important game because it’s the next game. That’s why it’s an important game. It’s this game. We’re looking forward to it.”

SEE ALSO: Curt Cignetti and IU football ‘want the chip on their shoulder to keep growing’ during the bye week

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