Dejon Walden: Seizing the Moment

Dejon Walden is preparing for the Arena Crown this week for the Albany Firebirds. This is his second season with the Firebirds, and he has made huge improvements this year. Dejon is part of the league's best defense. Walden, growing up, was constantly told he couldn't compete with the best because of his height. He never let that get in his way, and his perseverance is just starting to help him blossom as a player.  Walden brings havoc on every play, and when fans watch him, he is not letting past coaches' criticisms get in his way. 

Where it Began

Dejon Walden began his journey into sports, where most do, in the backyard. When he was 7 years old in the second grade, he decided to tell his parents he was ready to play football for real. From middle school to high school, Walden played offensive line, specifically as a center. After playing at a school struggling, going 0-10, he decided to move with his grandparents to play at Pickens County High School. There, they made the playoffs for the first time in his football career. Though Dejon was dominating on the field, teams did not heavily recruit him; he constantly heard his height was a factor in playing offensive line. His high school coach connected him with Shorter University to play football, and after visiting, he decided to commit. Dejon also played basketball growing up, but in his senior year, basketball caused him to lose a ton of weight from the conditioning.

Shorter University is a smaller private Christian university. They are DII and play in a competitive conference; Walden's other options at the time we DIII.

"I liked it there, the campus is small, but it was nice. It is what you make of it.

Once on campus for fall camp, the coach at Shorter University told him, at his weight, Dejon had two options: play center at 217 or switch to the defensive side, and the decision was made. 

"For me, it was pretty easy to decide when he told me I needed to make a decision."

Finding the Firebirds

Walden had his pro day at Mercer. He didn't get drafted, but then ended up working out for the CFL and XFL. Dejon kept grinding; he wanted a shot, but kept hearing he was too short to play. In December of 2023, Walden broke his ankle while training, and his football career seemed like it was ending before it started.  In Georgia, Dejon trained at the same gym as current teammate Sean Brown. He asked Brown if he could connect him to Albany. Not long after, Damon Ware reached out and asked him to come play for the Firebirds.

"Rookie year played out well for me. It was a learning experience. I showed flashes and showed them reason to believe I could do something for the team this year. Camp was amazing. We have done a lot to get here, and we are thankful to be here."

Walden played well as a rookie, but he wasn't the type of player teams had to gameplan around. Flip to this season, and he is a terror for opposing offensive linemen. Stacking up 10 sacks this year to go along with 18 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble. Dejon really embraced what the coaching staff told him after his first year and put in work to get where he is now. 

"Putting in offseason work, coming back, learning and watching film last year, really helped me make a jump. Being a critic of my own work, being real with yourself. I definitely thank the group around me, they are awesome, we all work together to achieve one goal, sack the quarterback. I’m not ashamed to say I’ve missed some opportunities, but I am thankful for all I have been able to do."

Get to Know Dejon

Dejon Walden enjoys other hobbies outside of football. He makes music in his free time. It has been a passion for him for and he wants to continue to produce. While outside of football and music, he still plays basketball and trains. 

Reflecting on last season, Dejon spoke about his favorite memory. The Firebirds were down big to West Texas. They scored a late touchdown, a 4-point conversion, and then tackled in the endzone on the kickoff to complete the comeback. 

"It was lit up in there, it was amazing. It was my favorite moment in recent memory." 

That may soon change after the Firebirds play in for the Arena Crown. Looking back further in his career, Walden said his favorite moment in football as a whole was getting his first sack in college. 

"My first ever sack, playing offensive line all those years and switching over in college, that was a moment for me."

Dejon had big praise for the Firebird fans. 

"I want to tell the fans, thank you for everything you all do, thank the fans supporting us everywhere we go, the flock is amazing."

Fans can catch Dejon Walden terrorizing Tyler Kulka and the Nashville Kats Saturday at 1:00 PM EST fr the Arena Crown.