Rijo Walker returned to the College Football Playoff staff in February 2026 as its Director of Team Operations after spending the previous two years as Program Manager for Plug and Play Frisco.
Walker originally joined the CFP in the fall of 2016 after previously serving as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, the University of Virginia. Prior to returning to Charlottesville, Walker spent one season at Virginia State University in Petersburg as a defensive graduate assistant for the Trojans football program. A four-year letterwinner for the Virginia Cavaliers, during his time as a football student-athlete, Walker was named special teams captain in 2013.
Walker holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in athletic administration, both from the University of Virginia. Originally from Hampton, Virginia, Walker is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the National Football Foundation's Gridiron Club of Dallas and the Black Sports Professionals of North Texas.
