Deone Walker (Vicky Graff Photo)
For the seventh straight season, Kentucky football will be represented at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. This year’s 76th annual game is slated for Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala., and UK uniors Maxwell Hairston and Deone Walker will play for the American team.
Practices are televised on both NFL Network and ESPN and the game will be aired live on the NFL Network at 1 p.m. ET.
Hairston, a 6-foot-1, 186-pounder of West Bloomfield, Michigan, announced his intention to enter the NFL Draft after a three-year Wildcat career that saw him play in 32 career games with 20 starting assignments. He totaled 89 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, with one sack and added 10 pass breakups, six interceptions and three forced fumbles. Three of his six interceptions were pick-sixes, which tied the school record – also owned by Dallas Owens (1974-77) – for most career interceptions returned for touchdowns.
In 2024, although hampered with an injury that caused him to miss five games, Hairston earned Second Team All-SEC accolades by The Associated Press after totaling 19 tackles, a tackle for loss, two forced fumbles, a sack, an interception (returned for a touchdown),
and four pass breakups.
He had five interceptions in 2023, including four in SEC action, and ranked fifth in the nation in that category. His five interceptions tied for fifth-most interceptions in a single season in program history, the most since Sam Maxwell in 2009 (six). He totaled 131 interception return yards, the most since Greg Long had 176 return yards in 1981. He had two interceptions at Vanderbilt, returning both for touchdowns, tying an SEC single-game record. He was named National Defensive Player of the Week and National Defensive Back of the Week for that game.
Hairston graduated in December with a degree in community leadership and development.
Walker, a Detroit native, also has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. The 6-6, 345-pounder provided a massive presence in the middle of UK’s defensive line in his three-year Wildcat career, often drawing double teams. Started in 36-of-37 career games, including 35 in a row. His career totals included 132 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 13 quarterback hurries, six pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
In 2024, he recorded 37 total tackles in 11 games with 5.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also broke up a pair of passes and recovered a fumble.
Walker was a Second Team All-SEC selection by the AP and was a Third Team All-SEC choice by the league’s coaches and Phil Steele.
Since 1950, Kentucky has had 54 players participate in the Senior Bowl, including 22 in the Mark Stoops era (2013-present).
The Reese’s Senior Bowl is the nation’s most prestigious college all-star game, as it annually serves as the first step of the NFL Draft process. This past April, the game produced 110 total picks, representing 43 percent of the entire NFL draft.
