Back to school: Herschel Walker is taking classes at UGA after Senate defeat

Former football star Herschel Walker has re-enrolled at the University of Georgia after his failed U.S. Senate bid, taking steps toward earning his college degree as he retreats from the public spotlight following his humbling defeat.

The university’s registrar confirmed Thursday that Walker is taking summer courses at the school. A university official said the Republican was recently spotted at an academic advisor’s office at the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences.

A household name in Georgia long before he waged his campaign against Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, the more than $470 million that was spent during the 2022 midterm rendered Walker an unavoidable figure.

Since his December runoff defeat and the accounts of his chaotic campaign that followed, Walker has taken a far lower profile.

He has made only a few public appearances and hardly posted on social media. He’s shunned even conservative outlets that once lionized his bid for office.

Even his former aides and friends say they haven’t kept in touch with the candidate. who once referred to his staff as “family.” One Walker ally said his return to school could be part of a quest to “reinvent himself.” Walker didn’t immediately comment.

Recruited to run for the Senate at Donald Trump’s urging, Walker’s campaign lurched from one crisis to another amid revelations about his history of violent behavior and infidelity, a knack for baffling statements and a pattern of exaggerations and lies.

Among those falsehoods was a claim that he graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. His campaign was forced to delete the false assertion from his website and materials and acknowledge that Walker left the school after his junior year to play professional football.

At the time, Walker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement that he returned to Athens to complete his college degree after his stint with the New Jersey Generals of the USFL but “life and football got in the way.”

‘Eagle flight’

Walker was the only statewide Republican candidate in Georgia to lose in last year’s midterm, spurned by hundreds of thousands of swing voters who cast ballots for other GOP contenders but withheld support for the former football star.

The Heisman Trophy winner’s bid for public office was steeped in football lore. His campaign logo borrowed from UGA’s red-and-black patterns and his slogan was “Run Herschel Run,” – a chant that often erupted on the sidelines.

Walker would sometimes spend more time under a bright-red tent signing footballs at campaign stops as he would addressing his supporters, and his rallies regularly attracted die-hard UGA fans who wore his “34” jersey.

Walker took steps to tie himself to the reigning college football champions – and remind voters of his starring role in the team’s 1980 title run. His campaign sent texts to thousands of voters of a picture of Walker and the late coach Vince Dooley from the 1980s.

Senior Georgia Republicans can now hardly bring up his name without a regretful tone, as more experienced candidates with closer ties to Gov. Brian Kemp and other victors stayed on the sidelines or got demolished by Walker in the GOP primary.

Meanwhile, Warnock has emerged as one of the nation’s most prominent Democrats after back-to-back victories in 2021 and 2022 in one of the nation’s premier battleground states that helped cement his party’s control of the Senate.

The Democrat leaned into UGA-friendly messaging, too, as his adsmiths came up with a 30-second spot that featured a series of Georgia fans – including one wearing the Republican’s jersey – saying he wasn’t fit for office.

“I’m going to keep Herschel up there,” said one Warnock backer, pointing at a faded black-and-white photo of the candidate hanging on his wall, “and keep Raphael Warnock in the Senate.”

Walker’s return to school is among few details that have emerged about his postdefeat plans, as some Republicans worry that he could again contend for statewide office in 2026 with Trump’s blessing.

Campaign finance records show that Walker has spent more than $1.5 million of what’s left in his campaign account to boost several of his favorite charities and political allies. He still has roughly $4.3 million left in the coffers.

One of his largest contributions was a $250,000 donation to the Horatio Alger Association, which bestowed him with one of its awards last year. This year, the foundation listed Walker and his wife as “eagle flight” sponsors for their largesse.

The Republican has also come under scrutiny over accusations that he donated more than half a million dollars in campaign contributions to one of his own businesses.

Emails first obtained by The Daily Beast and confirmed by the AJC reported that Walker asked Montana billionaire Dennis Washington for a $600,000 donation – and Walker told him to wire about $535,000 of the sum to a company he runs called HR Talent.

An aide to Washington said the money was ultimately returned after he asked for a refund when he realized the destination for the cash was to Walker’s personal account and not to his campaign, though the timeline for the transfer has remained unclear.

Walker has declined comment about both the transfer and an ethics complaint filed by a watchdog group seeking an investigation into the financial transaction.