TACOMA, Wash. – Throw a football in John Walker's general direction and he is likely to grab it out of the air.

The Pacific Lutheran University wide receiver compares himself to Megatron. Not the evil Transformer, but the former Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson who carried the nickname for his incredible ability.

Walker isn't as big as Johnson, but he makes up for it with his nose for the football.

"His confidence and his ability is what sets him apart," said Nasier Ford, a sophomore defensive end. "He is known for jump balls – going up and getting them. I'm not sure he's lost a jump ball since he's been here. He is athletic and has natural talent."

Walker led the Lutes in receiving yards (320) and touchdowns (four) and was named Honorable Mention All-Northwest Conference last month. The criminal justice major averaged a team-high 17.8 yards per catch and showcased his playmaking ability with six catches of over 25 yards, including a pair of 50-yard grabs. 

But he is not your typical sophomore football player.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver is 24 years old and is a senior academically. He spent four years in the army after graduating high school in Georgia.

Walker wanted to pursue football after high school, but didn't get many offers. So instead, he joined the military.

He served mainly with alliance groups in India, Thailand and Japan. 

"I enjoyed the army," he said. "I met a lot of great people there. There was a lot of great leadership that molded me into the person I am today. I don't think I could have learned that from any other career."

Despite being in the military, he never strayed too far from football. He played on flag football teams and in some tackle football games while deployed.

Walker was eventually transferred to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Lakewood, went to Pierce Community College and eventually chose PLU as a place to finish his degree and play football.

G.I. Jobs ranks Pacific Lutheran as a top 10 military-friendly school and the University recently established the Assistant Director for Military Student Support to run the Center for Military Support.

"Any time you can have an older guy on the roster, you naturally increase the maturity of the roster which is always a good thing," PLU football coach Brant McAdams said. 

"And any time you can add a veteran to the roster, you know you are adding somebody who has a team-first, service-oriented mindset and approach … and someone who has been in really challenging leadership scenarios."

McAdams hasn't had a ton of older athletes on his rosters over the years, though the 2018 Lutes had offensive lineman  and military veteran Will Goff who was older. Around the country, Division III programs have featured players as old as 61.

"It's not too much of an age difference," Walker said of him and his teammates. "It is just maturity. Some of them see things as a joke, whereas I'm a little more mature and serious. But these guys are pretty cool. I've learned as much from them as they've learned from me."

And something everyone is learning – whether on the Lutes or an opposing team – is not to go after the same jump balls that Walker has his eye on.

"On the field, he is fearless and competitive," McAdams said. "He goes up and competes on balls with the best of them. He definitely brings that mindset and attitude to the receiving corps."