Walker lands at Berwick

The Vandebilt Catholic football team should be awfully good in 2018, returning several key players off last year’s group which won seven games and made the Division II State Playoffs.

But while the Terriers are returning talent, they’re losing one of their brightest coaching minds to an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up.

Former Vandebilt assistant coach Mike Walker confirmed to The Times this past week that he’s accepted the head coaching position at Berwick – the first head coaching job of his career.

Walker, a John Curtis graduate and former player at Nicholls, has been with Vandebilt for the past four seasons, serving as the team’s defensive coordinator.

He said he’s eager to take his talents to a Berwick program that’s made the playoffs the past several seasons in Class 3A.

“I felt like I was ready to take the next step in my career and become a head coach,” Walker said. “I’m excited for the opportunity. I have been very fortunate in my football career to be a part of some good programs. I look forward to using what I have learned and put my own twist on it. It’s going to be nice to be my own boss, for sure.”

For Walker, family was a big influencing factor in his decision.

Walker, 29, said his wife is a Panthers’ alum and she currently is a teacher at the school.

“It’s a town that has been like a second home for me in the past eight years,” Walker said.

Because of that, he said he’s been able to keep a bit of an eye on Berwick’s successes in the past few years, which helps him to visualize how the future will be.

Walker is a defensive guy and he said his defense at Berwick will mirror the things he did as Vandebilt’s defensive coordinator. The Terriers have kept opponents out of the end zone efficiently in the past few seasons.

In the past two seasons, the Terriers have held opponents to 14 or fewer points eight times.

“On defense, I have always been a 3-4 guy,” Walker said. “It’s what I played in high school and college. … That’s what I would like.

Offensively, Walker said he wants to operate out of a spread, but his scheme will not be as heavily based on the pass as the Panthers have been in the past few seasons. Last year, Berwick was one of the top passing offenses in the state and four-star receiver Kenan Jones signed with LSU after the season and is expected to be an instant contributor for the team.

The Panthers do return their quarterback, but the team’s focus will be on dominating the line of scrimmage.

“On offense, we are going to be a spread offense,” Walker said. “But with an emphasis on spreading you out to run the ball. I know Berwick has a good quarterback returning and we will certainly use his talents, but we will run the ball, as well.”

But make no mistake about it, the decision to leave Vandebilt was not easy.

Walker said he made friendships and connections at Vandebilt – bonds that he will carry with him throughout the rest of his coaching career. He thanked Terriers coach Jeremy Atwell multiple times during his interview – first for being a confidant over the past decade and then also for his guidance and mentorship in the world of coaching.

But he said it was also hard to leave the players at Vandebilt – a group that Walker said will be successful next season.

He called the decision to leave a difficult one.

“Leaving Vandebilt will certainly be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” Walker said. “The connections and relationships I have made with the kids and parents will certainly be missed. And I’m going to miss Coach Atwell. He and I have been together for the past 10 years when I joined the Nicholls football team as a player. So it will be very emotional for me when I leave. Vandebilt Catholic will forever hold a special place in my heart.”

But now, it’s on to the next chapter and the next challenge and that’s to turn Berwick into an annual winner.

It won’t be easy, Walker concedes. But nothing in football ever is.

He said he’s looking forward to the chase – his first as a head coach, calling it something he’s dreamed about for many years.

“One of our main goals will be to establish a program that the people in the community can be proud of on and off the field,” Walker said. “I’ll never talk about wins and losses, although they are very important. Instead, I’m going to focus on developing these young men into better people and using the game of football to do that.”

Mike Walker

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