– Mark Walton grew up in Miami, always dreaming of playing for the Hurricanes.
During his career at Booker T. Washington, one of the South Florida's powerhouse high school football programs, he began perfecting his skills under former Tornadoes coach Tim "Ice" Harris. Before long, Walton emerged as one of the nation's top running back prospects, drawing attention from programs including Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee and South Carolina.
But when Miami came calling, as they so often have at Booker T. Washington, Walton listened.
Now, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound back that many believe has the potential to be the next in a line of great Hurricanes rushers, finds himself practicing on the same fields where Frank Gore, Willis McGahee, Edgerrin James, Ottis Anderson, Clinton Portis and more recently, Duke Johnson, once roamed.