Gateway grad Brady Walker, Saint Vincent look to finish season strong

Against Geneva College on Oct. 10, Brady Walker threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns to help Saint Vincent post a 41-25 Presidents’ Athletic Conference victory.

Both were season highs for the Gateway graduate and Bearcats senior.

The effort marked the fifth time in Walker’s collegiate career that he threw three touchdowns in a game. It also was his 14th multi-touchdown performance.

He’s also thrown for at least one touchdown in 22 of 24 career games and holds the Saint Vincent career record with 45 TD passes.

It’s been quite a career for the team captain, a leader on and off the field. But, Walker said, there still is more work to do.

“It’s helped me this season developing chemistry with our receivers and the other players overall,” said Walker, who completed 97 of 168 passes for 1,118 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions through six games. Saint Vincent is 2-4 overall and 2-2 in PAC play.

“I’ve only been with some of the players for a short time now, and our chemistry is really building up,” he said. “You can really see that in practices and games. We started off a little slow this year, and we had some players meetings and all of that just to get on the same page. Now, we want to finish strong, and that is always our goal.”

It’s been quite the journey for Walker, who came to Saint Vincent in 2019 as a transfer from West Virginia Wesleyan.

He appeared in three games as a starter in his first season with the Bearcats, completing 55 of 103 passes for 599 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions before a season-ending knee injury halted his progress. He added 28 rushes for 103 yards.

Walker’s comeback to the field in 2020 was delayed because of the covid pandemic. He had to wait to take part in a truncated 2021 spring season.

In four games — Grove City, Bethany, Waynesburg and Washington & Jefferson — Walker threw for 880 yards and 10 touchdowns and earned All-PAC honorable-mention laurels.

“The desire to play the game carried me through,” Walker said.

“The trainers pushed me to do rehab after surgery on my knee. I had to have some extra patience before I could get back to playing.”

In his first full year as a starter in 2021, Walker took full advantage.

In 11 games as a starter at quarterback, Walker completed 192 passes for 2,721 yards and 22 touchdowns as Saint Vincent went 5-6 overall and 4-5 in the PAC.

Both his pass and yardage totals were the second-highest single-season totals in PAC history.

“Last year, Brady had an amazing season with the ups and downs he had to go through each week,” Saint Vincent offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Hamilton said.

“He battled some bumps and bruises. There were weeks where he was just able to do walk through on Friday and then come out Saturday and throw a couple of touchdowns and 200 to 300 yards. I was extremely proud of the way he played last year and also seeing his maturation process. Over covid, he rededicated himself to the process of being good. He is a student of the game off the field, too. He works hard, and it has paid off.”

In addition to his Saint Vincent career passing touchdown record, Walker also holds the program record for career passing yards with 5,318 through the win over Geneva.

Offseason work for Walker included building a rapport with a number of the young receivers, pouring over many hours of film, planning for opposing defenses and continuing to work in the weight room.

“In high school, I really didn’t hit the weight room as hard as I should have,” said Walker, who entered college around 165 pounds and now tips the scale at close to 200.

“I’ve put on about 30 pounds the past couple of years, and it definitely feels good. It has really made a difference. I definitely feel stronger.”

Walker said he plans to graduate in December with a degree in business management. With two years of eligibility remaining, Walker said he most likely will make a decision after the season about entering a master’s program and whether or not he will continue playing.

Walker capped his four-year Gateway career throwing for 4,657 yards and 45 touchdowns as a senior in 2017 to help the Gators complete a 14-2 season with a WPIAL Class 5A title and a trip to the PIAA title game.

He earned numerous accolades throughout his Gateway career and finished with 8,816 yards, second in WPIAL history only to South Fayette’s Brett Brumbaugh’s 11,084 yards from 2011-14.