Reshaun Walkes PHOTO COURTESY UTRGV ATHLETICS
Junior forward Reshaun Walkes, who transferred to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for the 2020-2021 soccer season, was selected in the 2022 Superdraft by Toronto FC on Jan. 11.
During his time at Lewis and Clark, the team won a handful of awards, including a Third Team NCJAA All-American, two-time All-Region First Team Honoree, two-time United Soccer Coaches First Team honoree and Region 24 Player of the Year.
Walkes, 22, transferred to UTRGV his junior year of college. The university’s soccer team currently has a record of 6-2-2.
Head coach Bryeem Hancock said that he was excited for Walkes getting drafted for the Toronto FC.
“He’s been a guy who has developed a ton from one semester to the next … the way he’s been able to impact the group more than he did even in the springtime,” Hancock said. “And he had a good spring, but this fall really set itself apart.
“We set goals at the end of the spring for him individually, and he achieved those.. it’s great to see him get rewarded for that hard work.”
Walkes said he was watching the draft online until the site crashed. He received a call 15 minutes later from one of his agents, saying, “You’ve been drafted.” Walkes said he was shocked but did not want to believe it until he saw it.
“If he was telling me that, it must be true,” he said. “So, it was mixed reactions, but I saw it at the end and it was an unreal moment.”
Walkes said his family wanted Toronto FC (6-10-18) to draft him.
Asked about his journey all throughout high school and college, Walkes replied, “The funny thing about that is after I graduated high school, I wasn’t thinking of going to the [United] States at all for soccer. But I had a couple of people reach out to me, saying that ‘You should be going to school so you can get two things done at once.’ … But it was really important for me and my family, so I ended up taking the chance and going and it paid out, thankfully.”
In an interview with The Rider last November, Walkes said he wanted to play professional soccer.
Asked on Jan. 14 what he would have told himself back then, he replied, “I would tell myself to keep going. It will come, eventually. Just gotta keep your head up and keep working towards your dream.”
Asked about his next steps, he replied the goal is to make the first team and to be able to play in front of friends and family.
Walkes will be moving from the Rio Grande Valley to Canada soon and was asked what he would miss the most.
“Oh, the weather, for sure,” he said. “Actually, the people as well. The people were really nice towards me.”
Walkes said the Rio Grande Valley felt like a second home.
