2026 PFN Player Profile: Jacob Walkowiak-WR/FS-Palmerton

Tagged under: District 11, News, Player Previews

Cody Brady | July 17, 2026

Jacob Walkowiak

Palmerton High School

Class Of 2027

WR/FS

Jersey #8

5’8”/150

135 Tot Tckls, 4 TFL, 42 Solo Tckls, 3 Fmb Rec, 3 Fmb Caus, 19pts Scored

Other Sports: Track and Field (Pole Vault)

Times News Honorable Mention 2024, 2025 Season, Palmerton High School Coach K Award 2025 Season, Palmerton High School Sportsmanship Award 2024, 2025 Season, District 4th Place for Pole Vault, 2025, 2026, Best Male Field Athlete Palmerton 2026, 2nd Place at Tamaqua Invitational 2026 (Pole Vault)

Coach Says: Jacob was our leading tackler last year from the free safety position. He has excellent knowledge of our system and can get us in and out of coverages easily. From the free safety position, he has good instincts and reads well which allows him to make many tackles near the line of scrimmage. He was chosen a captain in the 2025 season and has excellent character along with being a team first ans selfless player.

Why do you play football?

Playing football to me is more than the 48 minutes on the field. It is the memories I make with my friends, the lessons I learn from my coaches, and the growth on and off the field that have made me who I am. I play football not only because I loved the game my whole life, but I also have always believed in challenging myself to best version of me; football allows me to do that. I have an unwavering gratitude and respect for the game, and I will always cherish my time with my teammates, most of whom have become close friends of mine.

Who is your favorite sports star and WHY?

My favorite sports star is Mondo Duplantis because this dude is amazing at pole vault, and he is extremely intelligent for only breaking the world record centimeter by centimeter to cash out on $100,000 bonuses. Pole vault is also just incredibly fun to watch.

Do you have a favorite play you remember the most? Explain:

My favorite play that I remember was against Salisbury in my Junior year where I forced and recovered a fumble on a crucial drive for them, resulting in my team getting the ball back and only needing one first down to win the game. I remember vividly seeing the ball pop out after hitting the opponent and being like “oh crap, I just forced a fumble,” scurrying to quickly recover the ball and holding on for dear life as the offense relentlessly tried to strip it from me at the end of the play. Furthermore, I remember jumping up and down with the ball in my hand on my way to the sideline and being greeted with cheers from my teammates. However, I still meet the moment with a ton of nerves knowing we needed the first down still to validate my play. When we got the first down, I remember sighing with relief as if I just finished a hard test. Ultimately, the fumble was the catalyst that put us in position to win the game. The amount of sheer joy and pride I had on my face at the end of the game when I went over to my coach will be one of my favorite memories of all of football.

What was last years season like for you?

Last years season was a roller coaster of emotions. Truthfully, I struggled on catching the ball on offense as I got inside of my own head and cast doubt onto myself. There were many points early in the season where I missed a big tackle or got a big play on me. However, instead of wallowing in self pity. I decided to put myself back together by focusing on the fundamentals and just having fun playing the game. By doing this, my play on the field dramatically improved along with my confidence. Thus resulting in a season filled with adversity while still being rewarding because of my personal growth on and off the field.

What are your goals for this coming season?

My goals for this season is to simply have fun and in the words of my coach, “Be a bat out of hell,” on defense. It is my last year, so I want to cherish every moment with my teammates and enjoy my last year of playing football.

Who is the best player you ever lined up against?

The best player I ever lined up against was also the best player I have ever played with; Logan Anthony. I vividly remember being a 115lb Freshman lined up at scout team inside linebacker and seeing Logan pulling and thinking, “I’m going to get leveled.”

What game, yours, college or pro, was your favorite game you watched and why?

My favorite game I ever watched probably has to be the week 18 game for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Baltimore Ravens for the division this past season. I recall my Dad and I trying to be quite as to not wake my Mom when Tyler Loop missed the field goal. I was just so happy to see the Steelers advance to the playoffs and the Ravens not. Go Steelers!

Describe what the perfect teammate is

The perfect teammate is not the best athlete on the field, rather the player who constantly shows up for the team. It could be as simple as bringing the bags into the locker room after practice or cleaning up the water bottles for the trainers. The perfect teammate can have many looks and be many things to a person, a friend or simply a teammate, but what is clear about them is their unwavering loyalty to you, your fellow teammates, coaches, and themselves. Lastly, their the first person to say, “on me,” when it was really on you because they always have your back. I’ve been lucky enough to have spent all 5 years of my football career with Connor Lawless who has perfectly embodied what it is to be a perfect teammate.

Tell everyone why you think football is good for a community

Football is good for community because the community gives so much to football. I have been fortunate enough to do tremendous amounts of community service that has taught me the value in giving back to my own community because they are the spectators that make Friday Nights so special. Without them, the electric energy would be non existent.

Name one thing that you’d love to do in football that may never happen?

One thing that I’d love to do in football that may never happen is play lineman for a game.

Who is your mentor, the person you want to be like? WHY?

My mentor is my Coach, who also so happens to be my Dad. I’ve been lucky enough to spend my entire high school career with my Dad as my coach. He is my inspiration day in and day out for knowing all the responsibilities he carries without ever batting an eye. Truthfully, I’ve quite enjoyed having my Dad as my Coach because while some minds might instantly go to favoritism when there is a coaches son or daughter, I see it as a spotlight (or what to call them on the practice field – my method is to simply just make direct eye contact and start speaking). A spotlight to always attempting to be perfect, and when you are not, the whole team is going to be hear about it without fear of having a parent meeting being scheduled. However, the reason I want to be most like him is for his unrelenting loyalty to his family and players. The countless hours I see him sacrifice during his free time to scheme for the next game (even though it is January) is something I aspire to be in like. Or how he breaks down film after a Friday night game until sun down on Saturday, just to then break down opponent film the next day. His drive is and always will be unmatched. Yet, will this drive is unrelenting is his compassion towards his players and family. He might be the first person to scream at you when you blow the same coverage for the third time in a row at practice, but he is also the first person to have your back when you need it most. That is what I admire; his unwavering loyalty. My Dad/coach has taught me to not only become the best football player I could be, but the best person. I could go on forever about my gratitude towards my Dad for the sacrifices he has made for me over the years, but the most I could some it up with is saying “thank you.” This is the thank you for all you have done for me, and how lucky I am to have you in my life. Also a special shout out to my Mom, I lover her equally and this segment could just have easily been about her.

Preseason Two a Days are:

Preseason Two a Days are best described by percentages. If you are struggling to get through them, just do the math on how close you are to finishing them. However, you’ll never expect how you might want that extra day when it comes to a senior year, so don’t wish away those practices because it goes by quick.

Is there anyone in your family, besides your parents, you could consider your biggest fan? Who, Why?

I would consider my Grandfather and Grandmother my biggest fans outside of my parents because they are always tuning into games to see how I did. My grandmothers is always the first to text with words of encouragements or celebratory texts. On the underhand, my Grandfather is always asking me questions and hyping me out when it comes to football. In tandem, they make two super fans that keep me motivated to keep playing.

When you aren’t playing, practicing or training for sports, what is your go to activity and why?

My go to activity is writing. I dream to become an author/screenwriter because I have always enjoyed creating fictitious worlds for others to enjoy, so I like to write to express my creativity. It is either that or Lego building because I can essentially pass my time will having tremendous amounts of fun.

What is your favorite play to run?

My favorite play to run is any play where I get to run a corner route. I love running that route so much.

is a hot dog a sandwich? If not, then why?

A hot dog is not a sandwich because, in my opinion, it should be considered more of a taco because the bun is shaped like a shell. I think that a sandwich has to have two separate pieces of bread with contents in the middle, thus making a hot dog not classify as the bun is continuous (assuming you get a good enough bun). I also think that if you think about it, that it makes sense to classify a hot dog as a “taco” because of how you put the toppings on it.

Music of choice:

Any type of music accept Beethoven. Not a big fan of the classicals.

Best thing you ever got from a teammate? Why?

The best thing I ever got from a teammate was a phone call from Logan Anthony when I was extremely stressed and anxious about all of clubs and school work. Logan called me, and he asked how I was doing. His kindness was perhaps the best thing I have ever recieved because of how much it helped me get through that rought patch.

Best Pizza topping?

The best pizza topping is easily pepperoni. It is really one of the only toppings that deserve to be on a pizza because it actually looks like it belongs there. However, as long as it isn’t pineapple on pizza, then it is okay to be on pizza.

What is your favorite vacation destination?

My favorite vacation destination that I have been on was probably my trip to Pittsburgh which consisted of Steelers training camp where I got a few players to sign a helmet along with stopping at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water.

Do you remember what the first football game you saw was?

The first football game I saw was a High School Football game at Palmerton High School, and the only thing I remember is being confused on why they wouldn’t go for a field goal (thought that was six points not three) rather than keep scoring these touchdowns.

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