Hawaii football commit, triple jump state champ Jalen Walthall is counting his blessings
HONOLULU (BVM) 鈥� The world recently saw the difference between elite football speed, and elite track and field speed thanks to DK Metcalf. The Seattle Seahawks star wide receiver competed at the USA Track and Field Golden Games on May 9, and although the 6-foot-4 freak athlete with a 4.33 40-yard dash turned in a respectable time, he didn鈥檛 stand much of a chance.
Metcalf鈥檚 time of 10.37 in the 100-meter race earned him a last-place finish in his heat among nine runners. The experience also brought him a newfound level of respect for track and field athletes.
鈥淭hese are world-class athletes,鈥� Metcalf said during the broadcast on NBC streaming service Peacock. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very different from football speed, from what I just realized.鈥�
Some sports pundits will use Metcalf鈥檚 dive into the track and field realm as an example of why football players should stay on the gridiron. They will be wrong, and Jalen Walthall just showed the state of Texas why.
The Manvel High School (Texas) senior is a committed to play football at the University of Hawaii, but Walthall isn鈥檛 dominant in just one sport. At the Texas state track and field meet on May 7, in the 5A triple jump with a leap of 50 feet, 4 inches.
5A TRIPLE JUMP STATE CHAMPION鉂楋笍50.40 馃
— Jwalt (@JalenWalthall)
The crazy part? Walthall began triple jumping four weeks before becoming a state champion in the event.
鈥淚t was exciting, especially for it to be my first year,鈥� Walthall said of his triple jump state championship. 鈥淚 thank God for my athletic abilities.鈥�
Walthall鈥檚 feat 鈥� something athletes who practice triple jump for years will never attain 鈥� becomes even more impressive when you consider it was attained out of pure boredom.
鈥淚t was my last year, senior year,鈥� Walthall said of his motivation to take up track and field. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been active so I just couldn鈥檛 sit in the house and do nothing; I had to do something. Track was the only thing going on.鈥�
I鈥檓 so proud of . 5A State Champion Triple Jump. got them a 50 footer.
— Cameron Herzog (@coach_herzog)
Like Metcalf, Walthall requires constant attention on the football field, too, due to his elite playmaking ability on the perimeter.
The 6-foot-1 wideout accounted for a combined 25 receiving touchdowns during his final two seasons at Manvel. Walthall鈥檚 1,660 receiving yards over that span would be even more inflated if the Mavericks didn鈥檛 utilize a run-heavy scheme.
Despite not being the focal point of Manvel鈥檚 offense, Walthall still made his presence felt. The senior racked up a season-high 215 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a November win over Fort Bend Hightower and kicked it up even another notch for the playoffs with consecutive 100-yard performances. It was 112 yards and a touchdown for Walthall in the postseason opener against Dripping Springs, and 123 yards to go along with another score in the regional semifinals the following week.
https://twitter.com/JalenWalthall/status/1328095680343265281
Despite a sparkling senior campaign and more explosiveness than your typical three-star recruit (evidenced by a gold medal in the triple jump), Walthall didn鈥檛 garner the Power 5 interest he deserved. Tulane, Wyoming, in-state Texas Southern and about 10 other mid-major programs extended an offer, but Walthall knows things would鈥檝e gone much differently had a pandemic not swept the world.
鈥淚 feel like COVID affected my recruiting in the worst way possible,鈥� Walthall said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 get spring ball, 7-on-7s or summer camps. Just nothing at the most crucial time. Scholarship offers were getting taken away and everybody鈥檚 in the transfer portal; it was a bad mix.
鈥淚 for sure would be at a Power 5 school (if not for COVID-19). But I鈥檓 just counting my blessings, I鈥檓 happy I have Hawaii and I鈥檓 just going to blow up out there.鈥�
Walthall won鈥檛 suit up for a Power 5 program in the fall, but he will be where he鈥檚 wanted after committing to Hawaii in February.
鈥淭hey (Hawaii) believed in me from day one,鈥� Walthall said. 鈥淭hey told me and they showed me that they have complete confidence in me coming in and playing.鈥�
The Texas 5A triple jump champion will be joined by five others from the Lone Star State in Hawaii鈥檚 2021 class: Brayden Schager (Highland Park), Ty Marsh (Ryan), Jordan Johnson (Allen), Nate Adams (Flower Mound) and O鈥橳ay Baker (Tyler).
As someone who captured a state title with just four weeks of preparation, Walthall has even loftier expectations for his primary sport.
鈥淚 want to leave there (Hawaii) as the receiving leader, the receiving touchdowns leader and if we can bring a Heisman to Hawaii, I want to do that,鈥� Walthall said.
Two on Four they outnumbered 馃枻
— Jwalt (@JalenWalthall)
