Former Temple Quarterback P.J. Walker was one of the biggest stars of the XFL’s debut weekend. Walker – who will be 25 come March – completed 23 of 39 passes while throwing four touchdowns against one interception. He finished with a QBR of 103.8 on the day. Walker also rushed for 26 yards on four attempts en-route to a 37-17 victory over the LA Wildcats.
Walker made several excellent throws on the day and took more than a few chances down field. There were several occasions in which Walker delivered an accurate ball downfield only to have it negated by great coverage. When watching the game film, it seems almost unlucky that he had a completion percentage of only 59%.
Walker spent 3 and a half seasons as the starting quarterback for Temple. Under Matt Rhule, Temple went 10-4 in 2015 and 10-3 in 2016, appearing in the American Conference Championship game in back to back years. With Walker under center, Temple would win the game in 2016. It was the first conference championship victory for Temple since 1967 and the school’s first in a major conference.
In addition to winning football games, P.J. Walker also set several Temple quarterback records. The Elizabeth, New Jersey native is the all time Temple leader in wins, passing yards, passing touchdowns and completions. Walker has a sizable lead in most of these categories.
Post Temple, Walker was in camp with the Colts but never saw game action. He has spent time with their practice squad over the last few seasons.
While under contract with the XFL, the Steelers reportedly asked if they could sign P.J. to a temporary contract in order to prepare for their match-up with Lamar Jackson. Pittsburgh viewed him as a mobile QB who could stand as a fill in for Jackson in practices. The move was denied by the XFL.
Walker will be hoping that more NFL teams will take notice following his impressive XFL debut. If he can continue to produce, there is precedent for him landing a solid NFL look. Former Wake Forest QB John Wolford was excellent in the AAF last year and was rewarded with an NFL contract. With a huge shortage of quarterback depth in the NFL in recent years, the former Owl is certainly going to be getting attention.