Decision by Valdosta State's Walker decision pays off

ALBANY - It was Tuesday afternoon, and third-ranked Valdosta State&#39;s practice was drawing to a close.<br> <br> Coach Chris Hatchers&#39; Blazers went through one final set of passing drills before they called it a day. Starting quarterback Fabian Walker stood under center, dropped back and began throwing.<br> <br> The first pass was to Travis Taylor complete.<br> <br> The second went to Tyran Robinson also complete.<br> <br> The third went to Raymond Thomas you guessed it, complete.<br> <br> After spending three years at Florida State with only one start, a 26-13 loss to third-ranked Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Walker transferred to the Division II school in January to hopefully realize the potential college scouts saw in him when he played high school football in Americus.<br> <br> ``That&#39;s all I ever really wanted, just to get the opportunity to play, and coach Hatcher gave me the chance here to battle for a position and play,&#39;&#39; Walker said, ``just to play and go out and prove that I&#39;m capable of going out and playing college ball.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> So far, Walker has done exactly that. He has started every game for the Blazers this season and passed for 2,482 yards and 18 touchdowns.<br> <br> ``It has been a good season. We started out kind of slow, myself and as a team,&#39;&#39; said Walker, who along with his teammates face No. 2 Albany State in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals Saturday. ``As each week has gone by, we have gotten a lot better as a team and my play, as well.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> At Americus, Walker earned the GHSA Class AA Player of the Year honors and set two GHSA career records (passing yards, touchdown passes). Trouble with his scholastic test scores trying to get into Florida State sent Walker to Jones (Miss.) Junior College for the 2000 season, and he was forced to sit out another season due to an Atlantic Coast Conference rule.<br> <br> By then, Chris Rix had established himself as the Seminoles starter. Before the 2002 season began, Walker injured his shoulder. That injured shoulder limited Walker in his Sugar Bowl start, and he made several costly mistakes, including an interception returned for a touchdown that broke the game open.<br> <br> Despite Rix&#39;s struggles during a loss to Clemson in 2003 and Walker coming in to throw a late touchdown, Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden announced Rix&#39;s job was safe. After Florida State&#39;s Orange Bowl loss to Miami, Walker leaned more toward transferring.<br> <br> ``At first I would think about it some, but I could never leave Florida State,&#39;&#39; Walker told The Herald in January. ``Then, after the bowl game, I reevaluated my situation and thought about the chance I hadn&#39;t been given. ... I just talked to (Bowden) and realized nothing had changed.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> During the Seminoles 2004 season, Rix struggled during two of the Seminoles first three games of the season, going out early in the third game against Clemson with an ankle injury.<br> <br> Red-shirt sophomore Wyatt Sexton took his place and started seven of the Seminoles past eight games. That might have been Walker starting instead of Sexton had he stayed.<br> <br> So does Walker regret leaving Florida State now?<br> <br> ``No,&#39;&#39; he said emphatically. ``Not at all. I don&#39;t regret my decision at all.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Walker was able to get through those tough times with the help of his mother, Deborah Pless.<br> <br> ``She&#39;s happy,&#39;&#39; Walker said. ``It&#39;s just a big thrill for me to see how happy she is right now. Walker has flourished under Hatcher, who was a winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy Division II&#39;s equivalent to the Heisman.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s had a tremendous season for us,&#39;&#39; Hatcher said. ``It took us a little while to get going on offense early in the year, and we had to kind of figure out what our team did the best, and he&#39;s done a good job of leading the football team, being a good field general, and he&#39;s a big reason why we&#39;re on the run that we&#39;re on right now.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> That run consists of 10 consecutive wins since losing the season opener 24-22 to Albany State. Walker&#39;s shoulder is healthy, and his mother has been to all his home games.<br> <br> Walker also has been able to lend a helping ear to former Americus and Florida State teammate Alonzo Jackson, who has yet to see playing time this year with the Pittsburgh Steelers.<br> <br> ``I talked to him (Monday),&#39;&#39; Walker said. ``I talked to him about when I was at Florida State just sitting down waiting to play, and now he&#39;s in the same situation. I just keep telling him you never know what&#39;s going to happen.&#39;&#39;

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