PEMBROKE – UNC Pembroke football head coach Shane Richardson announced the first of a handful of additions to his coaching staff on Monday morning when Ryan Walker, a former quarterback with experience at both the NCAA Division I and professional levels, joined the Black & Gold as its wide receivers coach.
 
A 7-year coaching veteran with previous stops at both the prep and NCAA Division I levels, Walker treks to Pembroke after serving as the tight ends coach at Grambling State during the 2020 and 2021 campaigns. He also possesses valuable experience as both a high school assistant, as well as a stint with the DeBartolo Sports QB Academy in Jacksonville, Fla.
 
"Ryan is a very detailed and thorough coach. He sees the value in preparing student-athletes to be their best and is willing to go the extra mile to ensure their success," Richardson said. "He is dedicated to doing things the right way and is a great fit for our program."
 
A quarterback by trade, Walker has already compiled an impressive list of collegiate student-athletes that have gone on to post successful careers at both the collegiate and professional levels. As the tight ends and quarterbacks coach at Grambling for two seasons, he helped mold the career of Kalif Jackson who would inevitably ink a free agent contract with the National Football League's Miami Dolphins following an impressive collegiate career with the Tigers. He also served as the interim play caller at GSU during the 2020 campaign.
 
Walker trained prep, collegiate and professional athletes across a seven-year stay (2014-20) as quarterbacks coach at the DeBartolo Sports QB Academy under NFL consultant Joe Dickinson and former San Francisco 49ers owner and Hall of Famer, Eddie DeBartolo Jr. His list of mentees at that stop includes more than 30 NCAA Division I signal callers, most notably former Alabama standout Mac Jones who currently maintains a starting role with the New England Patriots. Fellow Elite 11 finalist Carter Bradley, who completed better than 60 percent of his pass attempts under center for Toledo, is among that list of success stories as well.
 
Walker dove into the coaching world as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at Pedro Menendez High School in Saint Augustine, Fla., during the 2015 season, and served a similar role at Ridgeview High School in nearby Orange Park during the 2016 campaign. He took on the role as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Atlantic Coast High School in Jacksonville for the 2017 and 2019 seasons as well.
 
He played both the quarterback and tight end positions at nearby Jacksonville University from 2010-13, and played one season (2014) under center at Florida International. An academic all-America selection for the Dolphins, he was a part of 29 victories in Jacksonville and caught three passes for 74 yards as a senior, including a career-long 42-yard reception against Davidson.
 
"I am grateful for the opportunity to join the staff at UNC Pembroke," Walker said. "There is a great culture brewing here, and I'm ready to assist with achieving the vision of UNC Pembroke as one of the premiere Division 2 programs in the country. The community, coaches and players make Pembroke a special place, and I'm blessed to be a part of it. I look forward to competing for a conference championship in the fall! Go Braves!"
 
Walker earned a three-year playing stint (2015-16, 2018) at the professional level as a member of the Jacksonville Sharks. He also spent the 2017 football season as a sideline quality control volunteer assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
 
A native of Mandarin, Fla., Walker earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science at Jacksonville in 2014, and completed his graduate work in sports administration at Grambling State in 2021. Walker and his wife, Theresa, have two children – daughter, Mila, and son, Boston.