#17

Rico Walker

TE · California · Jr. · #17

Transferred Purdue → California for 2026
This season's coverage starts August 26 — check back once kickoff hits.

Rico Walker

TE · Purdue · Jr · #17

Limited signal — not enough coverage for a story yet.

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★★
#233 national
CFB
College
2 teams
2023–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Where He Ended Up · Transfer

Transferred to California

2025Purdue
2026California

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2023Maryland8-5HC: Mike Locksley · Pass-leaning
2025Purdue2-10HC: Barry Odom · Balanced

Career stats

SeasonTeam
2025Purdue910011.10--
2023Maryland4276.80--
Career131279.80--

How he plays

Play style

Shows up in the passing game from any alignment.

CFB Index positional classification

DNA match

Player DNA

Complete TE

No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.

TE

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jerome Jackson’s 2022 season.

Liberty · 2022

#2

Tyneil Hopper

Boise State · 2022

74%
#3

John Langan

Rutgers · 2023

72%
#4

Brady Russell

Colorado · 2022

71%
#5

Billy Riviere III

Washington State · 2023

70%

Matches Jerome on

Weight
Total EPA (college ability)
Class year

Differs from Jerome on

TD rate (lower)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Kelsey Johnson's sophomore season at Baylor (2023).

Baylor · 2023

#2

Elijah Sohn

Sam Houston · 2024

81%
#3

Cole Fotheringham

Utah · 2021

80%
#4

Emmanuel Stevenson

Arkansas State · 2022

79%
#5

AJ Lewis

Troy · 2021

79%

Matches Kelsey on

Weight
Yards / reception
Total EPA (college ability)

Differs from Kelsey on

EPA / play (adj) (higher)
Recruiting rating (higher)

Heisman trajectory

Heisman Trajectory · 2025

Peak #2651

Final rank
#2934
Avg #2781.7
Finalist prob 0%

Peaked at #2651 this season.

Development

Development Trajectory · receiving yards

2023–2025
27.02023
1002025

+270%

Up 270% from first season to most-recent.