A Knight in Shining Armor: QB position at LCA continues to function at high level with Braylon Walker
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Lafayette Christian Academy’s Braylon Walker heard such talk around his own campus. Just how was the first-year starter at quarterback going to fill the position left behind by one of the state’s more electric players?
In replacing LSU signee JuJuan Johnson, the state’s Mr. Football recipient, Walker would be tested in several areas, from his performance on the field to his leadership in the locker room.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Walker, a long-time friend of Johnson, simply went about handling the responsibility that comes with the position at one of the state’s top football programs. He accounted for more than 3,000 yards of offense, totaled 40 touchdowns, and positioned the Knights for a trip to the Division III select state semifinal.
“I felt it pushed me more than anything,” Walker said of the comparisons to Johnson. “It made me work a whole lot harder knowing that I had to come in and perform. They were big shoes to fill. He was a phenomenal player.
“I’ve said this many times, but those guys around me had my back; they really took a lot of the pressure off of me last season,” Walker said. “Of course, you hear it because JuJuan was a great player. I feel like I was trying to prove to myself more than anything that I could do it.”
A year after learning behind Johnson, filling in a game because of injuries or comfortable second-half leads, Walker’s full-time debut produced 2,417 yards on 158 of 279 passing and another 669 yards on 156 carries (4.3 yards per carry).
He threw for and rushed for 20 touchdowns apiece.
Walker, a UL-Lafayette commitment, helped LCA survive a mid-season coaching change with Standiford becoming the team’s interim coach and subsequently the head coach for the 2025 season.
He feels fortunate to have Walker leading the offense for a second season.
“Nothing here’s ever handed to anybody,” Standiford said. “He proved himself in a lot of the JV games, and we were fortunate to be up big in some games, and he got some action late in games. He took control and was a natural leader. He made it pretty clear early on that he was going to be the guy for us.”
Johnson was a virtual highlight reel during his record-setting career for LCA, which appeared in the state championship game four straight seasons.
By the time he finished his career, the school retired Johnson’s No. 7 jersey, cementing one of the state’s more intriguing careers that included the most total offensive yards (14,451) and touchdowns scored (171, which was broken last season by Vermilion Catholic’s Jonathan Dartez).
“I’ve known him for a long time,” Walker said of Johnson. “He was a big reason why I came to LCA. We used to play for the same AAU basketball team when we were younger (Swamp Cats). He took me under his wing my sophomore year, showed me a lot of things, and how to play quarterback better.”
Standiford felt the option of Walker at quarterback meant very little change to the offense Johnson operated with self-confidence.
“He and JuJuan are super talented and athletic,” he said. “Our team’s a little bit different than we were two years ago, with what we have weapon-wise. I think we’re going to be a little better up front, a little more experienced, and we’ll be able to do some different things.
“By the time we got to Week 8 or 9, we actually started to see a change in him,” Standiford said of Walker. “We started doing more 1-on-1 meetings. He really started taking ownership, not just on the physical side, but more on the mental side. Just taking guys and bringing them in to get extra work in.”
Walker’s introduction to the position was also a test of his mettle against another challenging schedule that included four Class 5A programs that including Archbishop Rummel, Carencro, Central, and Evangel Christian, and two Class 4A teams in Archbishop Shaw and Westgate.
The Knights wound up meeting two teams – Central in Division I non-select and Shaw in Division II select – that won their respective state championships.
LCA was 3-1 in District 6-2A play, dropping an opening game to Notre Dame 42-28 after falling behind 21-0.
“In the first year playing those powerhouse-type teams, it was a bit of a struggle,” Walker said. “After we made it through that, we improved a lot and took steps by leaps and bounds as a team. The game’s started moving slower for me, and I think we’re going to do better performance-wise against those teams.”
LCU redeemed itself in the second round of the state playoffs behind four rushing touchdowns from Walker in a 35-28 victory at Notre Dame. A week later, the Knights built a commanding 30-13 lead in the third quarter, a quarterfinal trip to top-seeded Dunham.
The homestanding Tigers, though, rallied behind Class of 2027’s No. 1-rated quarterback Elijah Haven, whose three touchdowns over the last six minutes of play for a 34-30 victory.
“It’s made us focus a whole lot more,” Walker said of the impact of that game. “We’re more dialed in. We’re focused a lot more on the little things. The leadership role has pushed me to be more vocal with the guys. It’s pushed me to be more accountable and made us better as a whole.”
Walker will follow a familiar path to college that Johnson took when he signed with LSU.
When it came to working out at college camps, and after seeing time at quarterback, schools were eager to see Walker’s skills in one-on-one drills at both cornerback and wide receiver.
Johnson signed with LSU as a cornerback before moving to running back during his freshman season when the position’s depth was affected by injuries. He’s since been added to the quarterback depth chart, where the Tigers have plans to utilize his game-changing skills with the ball in his hands.
Scholarship offers from Army, Yale and Navy represented an interest in Walker’s play-making ability at quarterback along with his academic prowess.
With the opportunity to meet his own deadline for selecting a college home, Walker opted to commit to UL-Lafayette along with teammate Luke Green, an outside linebacker/safety.
Walker’s position? Of course, it’s cornerback, where he’s never played in a varsity game before, but that’s expected to change in obvious passing downs this season.
“I wanted to have it behind me by July,” he said. “I definitely wanted to commit before the season. When I took the official visit, it just showed the love and commitment they had for me. I liked how the coaches interacted with the players. I knew it was the right place for me.”
Walker said playing offense is not totally off the table, but his focus will be at corner and returning kickoffs, where he’s also a standout sprinter.
“Once they told me they would like me to play corner, and once I was interested in UL, I started working at practicing it,” Walker said. “(LCA teammate) Braylon Allen is one of the best receivers in the state and gives me the great competition I love. I really enjoy playing the position.”
Walker said he’s trained at least once a week at cornerback with trainer Kenn Anio following his team’s own workout.
Explosiveness is a big part of Walker’s capability to be able to transition to defense, a sudden change of direction, and that’s been apparent in his success on offense.
That’s a byproduct of his success in track, where Walker was among the fastest athletes in 2024. He ran both the 100 and 200 meters and ran legs on the Knights’ 4×100 and 4×200 relay units.
Walker, who had personal bests of 10.66 in the 100 and 22.4 in the 200, was the regional winner in the 100, but was held out of the state meet because of a hamstring tweak and rainy conditions the day of the meet.
Walker’s healthy and ready to go this season.
“I need to be more comfortable in the pocket,” he said. “I’m watching more film. I’m dissecting the film better and knowing what I’m looking for, and knowing that to execute better in the game. I can improve on the timing of my throws, deep ball accuracy, and I want to run the ball a little bit more this year.”
Featured Image Courtesy: Full Frame Photography