But just when he thought he was done catching, an object was flying toward him from about 15 feet away. Because he needed to call coach James Cordova to find his whereabouts, it was a teammate's cell phone. There was no need for Walker - or his teammate - to even be a little nervous that the phone might drop, that it might smash into the ground and cause the death of one of a teenager's precious belongings.

Yes, he caught it. And yes, he made it look easy . . . almost too easy. Almost as if, after a reporter detailed his poise in the catch, Walker wanted to say, "Man, that's nothing."

That's Walker, a guy who's quick to say, "It's not a big deal," about almost everything, including his better-than-most-high-school-athletes abilities.

Fact is, he can make his teammates look like they're operating on dial-up connection while he's juiced up to high-speed Internet, and he'll be quick to say those same five words - it's not a big deal. It can be the fact that he can use the United States for a game of hopscotch, jumping around from California to Connecticut to figure out the best place to play college football, and he'll be quick to say all that stuff is not important right now.

"I don't think it's a big deal," he said. "Yeah, everyone likes a little bit of attention." That statement came after he said schools like Utah, Brigham Young, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Utah State, Southern California and Connecticut were interested in him.

What's important to the 5-foot-11, 159-pound Walker - who's expected to make a huge impact as the safety and running back after missing all but the last two games last season because of a broken right leg - is the Bulldogs. He wants to help them go further than last year, when they lost to the eventual state champion Bear River in the quarterfinals of the Class 3-A state playoffs.

All the attention from college teams, he said, wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the Bulldogs. Then again, he hasn't spent too much time on the field in a Judge Memorial uniform . . . and he's getting all this attention.

There's a good explanation for that.

He transferred from Lancaster (Calif.) High at the end of his freshman year, which forced him to start his Utah campaign the next season. And boy, he didn't disappoint when he finally suited up.

Let's just say that in one game against Juan Diego, he ran for over 100 yards and a touchdown . . . in one quarter of play. Just that one season helped Walker garner a certain amount of prestige, as he said there are a couple of schools that have been in contact with his since his sophomore glory days.

But the high-speed Internet was disconnected when he broke his leg in a summer camp at Idaho State before last season. But now, he's back. Back from another summer camp - this one without an injury - in Oregon where he won the best defensive back award, and walking around knowing that he's one of top 50 DBs in the country, according to rivals.com. But he's not completely at full strength yet.

"He'll be fine," Cordova said. "He was out last year, so there's a certain amount of re-conditioning or reconnecting that he has to do. But it won't be a problem come game time."

No one doubts what Walker can do on the field. No one dares to say that he won't be a big part of the Bulldogs season when it starts today against North Sanpete. Even Cordova came so close to giving Walker the ultimate individual compliment, as he said, "In no way, shape or form, this is a one-man team, but it'll be nice to have him out there and see what he brings to the football field."

Walker has already proven what he can do off it.

csun@sltrib.com

Bulldog back

* After missing most of last season because of a broken right leg, Judge Memorial's Lewis Walker is back in a Bulldog uniform - and coaches and teammates can't wait to see what he can do.

* College teams all over the country want Walker, whose credibility grew after winning the best defensive back award at a Nike football camp in Oregon this past summer.

* Walker is expected to contribute heavily for the Bulldogs as a running back and safety, though he's being recruited at cornerback.