After working in the background for over two years, the Central York star made the most of his chance to lead a multi-faceted ground game.
Ajani Walker wasn't a name atop the unofficial "Players to Watch" list for East Stroudsburg University football when the season started. That changed after his performance in the Warriors' 45-14 win over West Chester.
Walker, a redshirt freshman who was an All-State running back for Central York High School, tallied 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Golden Rams, and he did it averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He began the season as the backup to redshirt junior Deante Crawford, but with Crawford unavailable due to injury, Walker's number was called.
"It feels great to finally get that opportunity," Walker said. "With every opportunity comes execution and I truly believe it's about how hungry you are during those times when you're not playing. When that moment comes, you have to execute with no regrets."
This was a performance that was, in some ways, brewing since his high school days. An injury kept him out until the end of his senior season at Central York (where he still ran for over 600 yards), but Jimmy Terwilliger and his staff still brought him on. Unfortunately, it was a similar story in 2024 when another injury cut Walker's season short.
Still, Walker pushed forward and prepared for when his opportunity came, an approach that didn't go unnoticed by the coaching staff.
"His relentless attack in the offseason workout program to train and get back in great shape, which we saw during training camp, gave us great confidence that he would be a great option for us at running back," Terwilliger said. "When the opportunity showed itself, Ajani was right there to take the workload.
"Ajani Walker is an absolute workhorse. We knew that when we recruited him out of Central York. He's worked extremely hard to put himself in the positions he's in. He's a tremendous player and even better of a person."
An Increased Workload
Preparation still can't fully replicate a game experience, which Walker had very little of. Prior to 2025, he only had 6 carries for 9 yards, partly due to injury and partly due to his position on the depth chart. He had significantly more work in the first four games this season (24 carries for 119 yards), but to go from that to a starter's workload is easier said than done.
Walker prepared as the starter all week due to the rearranged depth chart, but to be able to execute is another story.
"Coming into a game like this, it was more about mental preparation than just physical," Walker said. "I spent a lot of time in the film room studying how their defense played, picking out their weak points and strong points and practiced throughout the week to prepare for those looks."
It was a slow burn for Walker against West Chester, as he didn't have a run for over 5 yards until the end of the second quarter. After halftime, however, he found a groove, breaking a 26-yard run in the third to set up a touchdown for ESU.
He then had four runs of 8 yards or more in the fourth quarter to help solidify the win.
"The preparation and being able to make corrections on the run," Walker said about how he found success in the game. "I also feel like Coach Twig really emphasized how crucial it is to be coachable in those moments and that made a big difference."
When asked about what makes Walker a successful running back, Terwilliger pointed to his "physical mentiality" when he runs the football, and vision and north-south running ability do well in the scheme. There are some areas Terwilliger wants to see improvement, but is happy about Walker's ability to make people miss inside the tackle box.
Multi-headed Rushing Attack
A lot of East Stroudsburg Unviersity's success against West Chester can be attributed to Walker, but for most of this season the Warriors, who lead the PSAC in rushing touchdowns, have used a variety of runners to move the ball downfield.
ESU has four player in the conference's Top-35 for total rushing yards — Walker (14), Sean McTaggart (16), Harrison Susi (22) and Crawford (28). Additionally, Matt Frame only has 19 carries from the fullback spot, but his 4.6 yards per carry are the toughest yards a player can get as he's the team's short-yardage specialist.
"When you have a rushing attack with guys like we have, you have the ability to put the defense into a bind," Terwilliger said. "For Harrison, who rotates in at quarterback, his running ability creates some mismatches. As a defense, are you gonna be able to play against the spread wide receiver sets while covering at QB who can run as well as a running back? He bring a lot of athleticism to the table.
"With Matt Frame, he's a fullback by position, but he runs as good as most of our other backs. Being able to tackle him through four quarters is always a tough task for anybody."
Terwilliger also mentioned how the power of Walker and Frame are complemented by the lateral quickness of backs like Crawford and Cade Sawyer, which keeps the defense on their toes and helps that portion of the offense be multi-faceted.
It's a strong possibility that East Stroudsburg will have at least four players finish the year with 300 or more rushing yards and while the passing game is still effective, the running game opens up a lot for the offense.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Ajani Walker leads ESU football's dynamic ground game
Category: General Sports
