MACON — University of Georgia football icon and former U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker has kept a relatively low profile this election season as he finishes up classes toward a bachelor’s degree.

But in a rare interview he said he couldn’t resist attending former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally on Sunday since it was roughly an hour’s drive from where he has been residing.

“I said, I’ll come here and do this,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And I have one more class left. I graduate in December. And this is so important; I think this election is so, so important.”

Walker ran for U.S. Senate in 2022 with Trump’s endorsement. He was defeated by U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock in a December runoff.

Asked whether he believes more Black men will join him in supporting Trump this year, Walker said it shouldn’t take much convincing.

“I don’t need to tell people who to vote for; vote your situation,” he said. “Everyone knows, if you want to be honest with yourself, this economy is terrible.”

He also mentioned the death of Laken Riley, a nursing student who was killed on University of Georgia’s campus. The man accused of murdering Riley entered the United States illegally. That current administration should not have allowed that to happen, Walker said.

“We’ve got to get this right,” he said. “This is a great country, and we just got to get things right. And I think we will.”

When it comes to his own political future, Walker said he has not decided if he will seek office again.

“I haven’t thought about it,” he said. “Going back to school was so important, because as I’ve said many times, education is so important. You know, I think education is an equalizer.”

After returning to the University of Georgia, Walker said he noticed how there are relatively few Black men on campus. He said he wants to encourage young people to further their education, whether it’s at a four-year university or a trade school.

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