ABOUT
WALKER SPORTS ACADEMY IS A SPORTS COMPANY THAT PROVIDES ELITE QUARTERBACK TRAINING , SPEED & AGILITY TRAINING , AND SPORT SPECIFIC TRAINING TO THE JACKSONVILLE AREA AS WELLL AS NATIONWIDE.
MEET THE TEAM
OUR COACHES BRING UNMATCHED EXPERIENCE TO OUR ATHLETES, HAVING BEEN FORMER PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS AND COACHES, AS WELL AS COMPETITORS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL. THEIR EXPERTISE IS SECOND TO NONE, SHAPED BY GUIDANCE FROM SOME OF THE GREATEST MINDS IN FOOTBALL AND SPORTS!
OWNER / HEAD COACH
RYAN WALKER
RYAN WALKER IS A SEASONED FOOTBALL COACH AND FORMER PLAYER WITH OVER A DECADE OF EXPERIENCE IN COACHING. WITH STOPS AT THE DIVISION 1 AND 2 LEVELS AND VOLUNTEERING IN THE NFL, HE BRINGS A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE GAME AND POSITION TO HIS ATHLETES!
WALKER HAS EXPERIENCE TRAINING ATHLETES AT VARIOUS LEVELS, INCLUDING HIS TENURE AT DEBARTOLO SPORTS QB ACADEMY, WHERE HE MENTORED NUMEROUS DIVISION I QUARTERBACKS ALONG WITH SOME NFL QUARTERBACKS. MOST NOTABLE BEING FIRST-ROUND PICK MAC JONES OF ALABAMA AND NATIONAL CHAMPION. HIS COACHING CAREER BEGAN AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, AND HE EVENTUALLY BECAME AN OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND QUARTERBACKS COACH AT SEVERAL SCHOOLS.
WALKER PLAYED BOTH QUARTERBACK AND TIGHT END AT JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY AND FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL AND HAD A BRIEF PROFESSIONAL CAREER WITH THE JACKSONVILLE SHARKS IN THE AFL. HE HOLDS A DEGREE IN EXERCISE SCIENCE FROM JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY AND A MASTER'S DEGREE IN SPORTS ADMINISTRATION FROM GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY. WALKER AND HIS WIFE, THERESA, HAVE THREE CHILDREN AND CURRENTLY RESIDE IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.
COACHING STOPS
2024 - ECSU - OC/QB'S (D2)
2023 - U OF DELAWARE - ANALYST / ASST. WR'S (D1)
2022 - UNC PEMBROKE - WR'S / SPT COORD. (D2)
2020-21 - GRAMBLING ST. - TE/QB'S/INTERIM OC (D1)
2017 - PITTSBURGH STEELERS - VOLUNTEER (NFL)
2015-2019 - VARIOUS HIGH SCHOOLS
QUARTERBACK COACH / ADMINISTRATOR
TANNOR WATSON
COACH WATSON STARTED HIS CAREER AT ATLANTIC COAST HIGH SCHOOL WHERE HE MET AND PLAYED AND LEARNED FROM COACH WALKER. HE WAS A STANDOUT QUARTERBACK AT AC WHICH LATER EARNED HIM ALL STAR HONORS TO REPRESENT THE STATE OF FLORIDA IN A FLORIDA VS GEROGIA ALL STAR MATCH UP.
AFTER HAVE THREE DIVISION 1 OFFERS, COACH WATSON ENDED UP COMMITTING TO FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (FIU) IN SOUTH FLORIDA TO CONTINUE HIS QUARTERBACK CAREER. THERE HE HAD THE OPPOURTUNITY TO PLAY FOR SOME OF FOOTBALLS GREATEST MINDS SUCH AS HEAD COACH BUTCH DAVIS, AND NFL OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND FORM NATIONAL NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERBACK KEN DORSEY.
AFTER A COUPLE OF YEARS AT FIU, COACH WATSON TRANSFERED TO EDINBORO UNIVERSITY IN PENNSYLVANIA (PSAC D2) WHERE HE WOULD GO ON TO START FOR THE FIGHTING SCOTS. HE WOULD LATER FINISH CAREER THERE ALL WHILE MENTORING HIS LITTLE BROTHER (KEELY WATSON) INTO BECOMING THE NEXT GREAT QUARTERBACK IN THE FAMILY WHO HAPPENDS TO BE AN ALL CONFERENCE QUARTERBACK AT ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY.
SINCE THEN COACH WATSON HAS JOINED THE WALKER SPORTS ACADEMY COACHING QUATERBACKS AND ASSISTING WITH ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES. HE BRINGS A NUMBER OF YEARS OF KNOWLEDGE FROM THE POSITION AS A PLAYER WHO HAS DONE IT AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS AND IS DETERMINED TO PASSD IT ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION.
QUARTERBACK COACH
NOAH RAY
NOAH RAY, A PROUD JACKSONVILLE NATIVE WHO WAS TRAINED AND COACHED BY COACH WALKER. NOAH GRADUATED WITH HONORS FROM BAKER COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL IN 2022, EARNING OVER 20 COLLEGIATE OFFERS. AS A QUARTERBACK, HE COMPETED AT WARNER UNIVERSITY AND ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY THROUGHOUT HIS COLLEGE CAREER.
NOW, FRESH OFF PLAYING AT A HIGH LEVEL, NOAH IS DEDICATED TO TRAINING YOUNG ATHLETES—HELPING THEM DEVELOP ELITE TECHNIQUE, STRONG MINDS, AND BIG HEARTS.
QUARTERBACK COACH
JEFF GONOS
JEFF BRINGS OVER TWO DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN COACHING AND PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL OPERATIONS, DRIVEN BY A DEEP PASSION FOR THE GAME. HIS CAREER INCLUDES WORK WITH THE CAROLINA PANTHERS (NFL), AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS (NFL EUROPE), AND MULTIPLE ARENA FOOTBALL TEAMS. HE ALSO SERVED AS COMMISSIONER OF THE PROFESSIONAL INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO LEAD A SPORTS PERFORMANCE TRAINING FACILITY IN MECHANICSVILLE, VA.
BY THE AGE OF 30, JEFF HAD ALREADY EARNED TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS—ONE IN NFL EUROPE AND ANOTHER IN ARENA FOOTBALL. HE HAS WORKED ALONGSIDE COACH WALKER FOR OVER FIVE YEARS AT DEBARTOLO QB TRAINING AND HAS PERSONAL PLAYING EXPERIENCE AS A QUARTERBACK AT BOTH THE HIGH SCHOOL AND NCAA LEVELS. NOW BASED IN HAMILTON, GA, JEFF LEVERAGES HIS EXTENSIVE EXPERTISE AND NETWORK TO TRAIN QUARTERBACKS AND ATHLETES IN SPEED AND AGILITY. HE ALSO HOLDS A USAW CERTIFICATION IN PERFORMANCE TRAINING, SPECIALIZING IN WEIGHTLIFTING, SPEED, AND AGILITY DEVELOPMENT.