Walls Earns Nomination for 2017 Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team
7/10/2017 2:47:00 PM | Football
Senior safety is only Southland Conference player on list of 146 student-athletes from around the nation
Complete Allstate/AFCA Release
NORTHBROOK, Ill. - For the second time in as many seasons, Stephen F. Austin safety Marlon Walls has earned a nomination for a spot on the Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team. The announcement came Monday afternoon in a press release issued by Allstate and of the 146 nominees from across FCS, FBS, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and the NAIA, Walls is the only Southland Conference player on the list.
Since 1992, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team has brought together a select group of college football players from across the country to honor their dedication to volunteerism and enriching the lives of others.
Monday's announcement is just the latest in a long line of accolades piled up by the product of Pearland, Texas. The owner of a perfect 4.00 GPA in engineering physics with a minor in mathematics, Walls' off-the-field laurels at the conclusion of the 2016 season alone included being named SFA football's first-ever CoSIDA Academic All-American (First Team), the 2016 Southland Conference Football Student-Athlete of the Year, an FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star and a finalist for the FCS Doris Robinson Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. Currently, Walls is stationed in Baltimore, Maryland, serving an internship with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Alongside other students from institutions such as MIT, Stanford and Yale, he is assisting with the Europa Propulsion Module, a joint project with NASA.
On the gridiron in 2016, Walls took part in all 11 of the 'Jacks' contests and made 10 starts at nickel back. Through those tilts, he racked up a grand total of 62 total tackles - the third-highest number among all 'Jack players. Of those 62 stops, a team-leading 32 were of the solo variety and he also posted two tackles for loss, three pass breakups as well as a forced fumble.
With less than two months remaining he hits the field for the 2017 campaign, Walls has amassed 90 tackles - 58 solo - 3.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions in 35 games played.
Outside of football, Walls has been active on the community service scenes in both Nacogdoches and Houston during his time as a collegian. Among his large volume of community service projects are serving as a nutrition and life skills advocate, a student tutor, reading to local elementary schools and lending his time on Thanksgiving Day, passing out meals to needy citizens.
Comprised of 11 players from the FBS and 11 players from the FCS, NCAA Divisions II, III and the NAIA, the final roster of 22 award recipients will be unveiled in September. From the nominees submitted by sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, a special voting panel consisting of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team members and prominent college football media members will select the 2017 Good Works Team. Two-time national champion, Heisman Trophy winner and 2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team member Tim Tebow will headline the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team voting panel.
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