Photo Courtesy of Idaho State Athletics
Idaho State Athletics
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Idaho State football coach Rob Phenicie calls Isaiah Walter’s story a great college football story.
“From the stand point of perseverance from putting your time in, not complaining, working hard and waiting for your time to come,” Phenicie said. “He is a fifth year senior and arguably one of our best players of offense. He is one of our strongest players on the team pound per ppound.”
Walter’s perseverance has put him in a spot to be a leader on offense when the season gets started in the spring of 2021.Getting to the point where he is now has taken hard work and commitment in all areas of his life.
“It has been a long journey and it has been a lot of work,” Walter said. “I have had to improve a lot and battle a lot of injuries,hamstrings and ankle injuries. The first year I went back to receiver I had a really great spring and then I didn’t play much the following season because I pulled my hamstring early in the season. I feel like I have always been set back with something every year.“It has forced me to push harder. I try and look at it as everything happens for a reason. If you get a setback that means you have to push harder. That is what I tried to do, work harder. Every day I tried to learn the offense more. I did everything I can to be helpful to the team to getting better in the film room, to the weight room, on the field, whatever I just tried to maximize my potential in every way possible.”
Maximizing his potential is something Walter has done his entire life. Walter always played sports but he was never a wide receiver until halfway into his junior year of high school. Walter got his shot at receiver when an injury to a starter trusted in him to the starting role.
Walter made the most of the moment by scoring four touchdowns in the second quarter.
“That was the first time I played receiver in a varsity football game,” he said.“That was the moment I realized I could do something with this sport. I took it more serious. That moment I was able to transition into a two-way player.”
Walter’s success at wide receiver was short lived as two games into his senior season he was moved to quarterback.
“I ended up being the starting quarterback the rest of the season,” Walter said. “Showing my versatility in high school was helpful in being recruited.”
As a freshman in high school he was 5-1and 115 pounds. Now as a senior he sits at 5-10 and 199 pounds.
“Being strong mentally has helped me push through everything that I have come across,” Walter said. “Every obstacle,every fear. Being able to battle fear is huge. A growth spurt has helped.”
Walter added, “What pushed me was the mentality that my parents instilled in me to never give up, not listen to what anybody thinks, to only believe in yourself and to push through everything. You can overcome every obstacle if you will just believe in yourself.”
Walters not only believed in himself but he listened and acted on the input of his coaches growing up.
As a sophomore in high school Walters approached his high school coach, Rick Clark, and asked if he thought he had the skill set to play college football.
The answer was simple, “He told me straight up, right now, no.”
But he added, “He also said this is what you have to do in order to play college football.”
“When He told me that I did everything that he said I needed to do,” Walter said.“Now I am where I am now. I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I didn’t have his help and wisdom to tell me what path I needed to take.”
Walters was recruited to Idaho State as a safety but when he arrived on campus he was moved to wide receiver. During his time at Idaho State he said he has been told that he was going to play outside linebacker and safety before settling back in at wide receiver.
“We were always looking for a place to get him on the field,” Phenicie said. “He was always willing to do whatever we asked him. Now he is sowing the fruits. In this instant gratification society, a guy like him had 15 times he probably could have left. He stuck around. He is well respected amongst the team. He is positioned to have a great senior year. We are lucky he did stick around. It is a great story. A fifth year senior is rare.”
The Bengal senior credits his parents for the lessons he has learned on working hard and being mentally tough.
“My dad was always my coach in pretty much in every sport I played,” Walters said. “So he was a huge influence. The way I think when it comes to sports and competition was heavily influenced by what he thinks. I wouldn’t be the player I am today without his influence or my mothers.”
Walters added, “My mom was as great track athlete in high school. She had the skills to be an Olympian track runner but she blew out her knee her senior year that ended her track career. After she had me,she put a lot of her competitive ways of thinking on to me. She wanted me to be great. She taught me how to run. I think I get my speed from her. My mom is such a tough woman, who has been through so much in her life. She has taught me howto overcome everything because she has overcome everything. She has been in the toughest situations. Her mental strength has been a huge influence for me. I just want to thank her for that.”
As Walters wraps up his collegiate career this spring with the six-game schedule he is looking forward to the future and life after football.
“There are a lot of things I want to do,”Walters said “I want to start working on my own business, which is like a sports performance business but at the same time I want to get into sports management and marketing careers to find a way to intertwine all of them together. I want to give back to my community for sure, especially Yakima.
“I want to show the kids that it is not just about sport but how you grow as a human through what you are doing and what you love,” Walters said.
“He comes from a good family,”Phenicie said. “His dad is always at the games. He is poised to have a good season. A guy like him who goes through what he went through for five years to get to this point. We vote on captains before the season but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was named a captain.”
