The legendary Herschel Walker knows a good player when he sees one, and he couldn't help but be impressed by his alma mater's newest star, Georgia running back Nick Chubb.
“When I played, they didn’t have guys 6-5, 300 pounds that can run a (4.5-second 40-yard dash),” Walker said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “You’ve got a bunch of them out there that can do that now. So he’s playing in a totally different era. He can make his own way right now. The guy is an incredible, incredible football player.”
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Chubb became a breakout star on the field last year after he took over for suspended Bulldog running back Todd Gurley. He ran for 1,547 yards and 16 touchdowns his first season, despite starting for only eight games.
Those numbers are second in Georgia history only to Walker's freshman season in 1980, where he ran for 1,616 yards and 20 touchdowns.
“When you see football today, you see a choir playing running back,” Walker said. “You see about 10 guys running in and out of the game. (Chubb) carried the ball 30-something times, and that is absolutely amazing. That shows you the worth that he has, and I’m amazed.”
However, Walker doesn't want running backs to continually be compared to him and his accomplishments over 30 years ago.
“Most of these guys, I could be their father,” Walker said. “I told them, ‘You don’t want to listen to ‘Herschel Walker this, Herschel Walker that, because you’re playing in a different time.’ One thing that’s great about this team here as a whole, Georgia has got a heckuva lot of good running backs.”
Walker remains Georgia's all-time rushing leader with 5,259 during his three years as a Bulldog.