Who Are Yakiri Walker’s Parents? Everything About Colorado Football’s Center’s Family

All eyes are on Yakiri Walker this fall. The Connecticut transfer who joined Coach Prime’s Colorado last December is one of the toughest IOLs in the team. 

The 6 ‘2, 270-pound native of Dallas, Texas had made waves when he played 12 games in 2023 for UConn with more than 800 snaps. The three-star recruit from DeSoto, Texas went to the same high school as former CU standout Laviska Shenault. Here’s what you need to know about the Buffs’ new OL and his family.

Yakiri Walker’s family background and key moments

When Yakiri started playing football as a kid, his pops Dennis Walker put him at running back. Years later, Yakiri still thanks his father for making that decision as playing running back helped him achieve the physique and the impeccable footwork that he now has. He played running back till he was 14 until he walked up to his coach one day and told him that he wanted to be a lineman and ‘hold the ball’. Yakiri shares a very close bond with his pops, Dennis, and his mom Laneya (Pruitt). He says that they are always just one call away. 

While the offensive lineman chose CU independently, his dad had only one condition. Yakiri’s pops strictly told him that he should not come back the following semester and must stick to his degree. Walker is currently pursuing his major in Ethnic Studies. Besides football, Yakiri gets very excited when someone brings up the topic of fishing. Growing up, young Yakiri and his pops used to go fishing all the time. The father-son duo would turn on the early morning fishing shows and watch them together. When at home in Dallas, Yakiri loves spending time with his siblings, Kaiden and Keosha. Yakiri is not the only one in his family who plays football. His cousin Jalen Reagor plays as a WR for the New England Patriots.

Yakiri’s connection with Shedeur and other linemen at Colorado

Yakiri, who grew up idolizing Johnny Manziel on screen, always knew that he belonged there on the field when he first played college football against Michigan. Yakiri bonded immediately with Coach Prime’s son, Shedeur Sanders, when he first got transferred to Colorado. The former Husky played against Shedeur when they were in high school. In fact, Yakiri even slid into Shedeur’s DM on Twitter even before he got into Colorado when the latter was looking for a lineman in high school. Yakiri believes that he always had a connection with Sanders, which has only gotten stronger after he moved to Colorado. He’s excited to play alongside Shedeur and win the championship. 

Yakiri is very bosom with the rest of the linemen in the team as well. He considers the linemen like Justin, Kahlil, and even Tyler as his brothers from another mother. They train together and hang out together all the time. They even have a group chat, which is always very active. It’s certain that it’s only a matter of time before we see Colorado’s linemen showcase their chemistry on the field as well.