UK quarterback Walker Wood will play football with Ed Orgeron’s son in Louisiana
University of Kentucky quarterback Walker Wood is transferring to McNeese State.
Wood, who said before UK’s game against Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl that he would seek a transfer, announced his decision Tuesday via Twitter. He will have two years of eligibility remaining for the Cowboys after graduating from UK in May.
McNeese State, located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is a member of the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision, so Wood will be able to play immediately. The Cowboys went 7-5 in the 2019 season.
Wood had never played a snap at UK before last season. He was a Mr. Football finalist at Lafayette High School in Lexington, which he led to two straight Class 6A championship game appearances. He suffered a knee injury in his final high school game and has twice had surgery on his right shoulder, including once since arriving on campus.
In his debut, during UK’s 38-14 win at Vanderbilt, Wood finished with 12 yards on two carries and threw one pass, a 7-yard completion. He was 1-for-2 for 8 yards and rushed for a 10-yard carry in his only other appearance, which came in UK’s 50-7 win over Tennessee-Martin.
Before announcing his new school, Wood released a statement about his time at Kentucky.
“It’s hard to put into words what these last few years have meant to me,” Wood wrote. “There’s been good times, there’s been bad times, and I wouldn’t change any of it. Over these last few years I’ve grown more as a person, a friend, a teammate and as a player than over my entire lifetime. That is because of the people here at the University of Kentucky.”
Other Kentucky players issued words of encouragement and support on their own Twitter accounts.
Cody Orgeron, the son of LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, threw for 24 touchdowns and more than 2,600 yards as the starting quarterback last season at McNeese State. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 10:04 AM.
