Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III will play a key role in Super Bowl 60 this evening against the New England Patriots.
With Walker becoming a household name throughout this postseason run, many fans have wondered whether he’s related to former UCLA wide receiver Kenneth Walker III. Their achievements and relatives are often mixed up online because they share the exact same name, down to the “III.” Let’s break down whether they have any relation.
Kenneth Walker III: Same Name, No Relation
No, the two Kenneth Walker IIIs are not related.
The Seahawks’ Walker was born on Oct. 20, 2000, in Arlington, Tennessee. He attended Arlington High School, where he rushed for 3,485 yards and 41 touchdowns before committing to Wake Forest.
After two seasons with the Demon Deacons (1,158 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns), he transferred to Michigan State in 2021 and promptly became one of the best backs in the country. Walker won the Doak Walker Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. Seattle drafted him in the second round (41st overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The other Walker was born on April 1, 1994, and grew up in Richmond, California. He played wide receiver at UCLA from 2012 to 2016, doubling as a sprinter on the Bruins’ track team. His best college season came in 2016, when he caught 22 passes for 365 yards and four touchdowns.
After going undrafted in 2017, the UCLA Walker bounced through stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL, and a brief cup of coffee with the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL. He was on Winnipeg’s practice roster when the Blue Bombers won the 107th Grey Cup in 2019.
The two players share a name and a sport, but they grew up nearly 2,000 miles apart, played different positions, and don’t have any family ties.
Seattle’s Walker Ready to Make His Mark in Super Bowl 60
For the 25-year-old Seahawks back, Super Bowl 60 against the Patriots at Levi’s Stadium is the most important game of his career for many reasons. Not only is the Lombardi Trophy on the line, but Walker is set to hit free agency after the season. He rushed for 1,027 yards and 5 touchdowns on 221 carries in 2025, playing all 17 regular-season games after an injury-shortened 2024 campaign. He also caught 31 of 36 targets for 282 yards.
With fellow running back Zach Charbonnet out due to a torn ACL suffered in the Divisional Round, Walker has carried the load as Seattle’s lead back through three playoff games.
He’s topped 100 scrimmage yards in three consecutive contests, including a three-touchdown performance against the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round. Per Next Gen Stats, his run stuff percentage of 19 is a career low this season, and he generated a career-high 739 yards after contact.
“Man, that’s a really fun person to talk about because he’s just playing his best football at this time of the year,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak told NFL.com ahead of Super Bowl 60. “He was hurt in training camp. He couldn’t practice every day. So I think it kind of got him off to a slower start.
“But he’s a guy that, as the year has gone on, he’s just got so much more detail with his assignments. And we just have so much more confidence in him. And there’s so much that he can do in the pass game that we weren’t really able to rep in training camp… probably to get as comfortable as I would like to do. But now, this time of year, it’s like we’re just always trying to find new ways to get him the ball in the passing game as well.”
Walker became the first Seahawks player since Marshawn Lynch in 2014 to post consecutive playoff games with 100-plus scrimmage yards. That comparison alone tells you what he means to this offense heading into Sunday.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald made the team’s intentions clear during Super Bowl week. “Of course, we want Ken back,” Macdonald said of the pending free agent. “He’s a phenomenal player. He’s a great person. He’s a great teammate.”
Walker, for his part, seems to feel the same way. “I’d definitely stay,” he told reporters during Super Bowl week.
As for the other Kenneth Walker III, he was last signed by the USFL’s Maulers in 2022 before being released days later. Two men, one name, and two very different football stories. Only one of them will be taking handoffs under the brightest lights the sport has to offer on Sunday night.
