Alabama Pursuing 2023 DL John Walker

The Florida native has remained in contact with the Crimson Tide weekly.

Author:
Clayton Connick
Publish date:
Feb 16, 2022 3:00 PM EST

At 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, John Walker is among the best on the defensive line in the 2023 class. According to Walker, his speed, physicality and active hands in the trenches set him apart as a game-altering run-stopper and a lively pass rusher.

Alabama offered the Osceola High (Kissimmee, Fla.) product back in February of 2020, and the Crimson Tide coaching staff has maintained a sold relationship with him. He has been in contact with Alabama defensive line coach Freddie Roach frequently, and Walker said that wide receivers coach and assistant head coach Holmon Wiggins checks in on him every week. His latest visit to Alabama was in June, but Walker will likely be back in Tuscaloosa before his recruitment wraps up.

Just last week, Walker received a call from Alabama head coach Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide has made Walker a priority in the 2023 class, and rightfully so.

In his junior season, Walker led Osceola with 13 sacks and 77 total tackles in 12 games. Safe to say that he will be a difference-maker in college, as he now looks toward his final high school season.

On Christmas Day, Walker released his top five schools.

John Walker top 5 — @Hayesfawcett3 on Twitter

Walker included Alabama, Penn State, Ohio State, and two in-state options in UCF and Florida State. Since releasing this list, Walker has been offered by LSU and Miami, and he most recently took a visit to Florida. With all three of those programs being under new head coaches, Walker has not kept his options to just the five that he listed back in December. He also took a visit to Michigan and revisited Penn State in the month of January.

Regardless, Alabama remains in the conversation to land the disruptive defender. Walker noticed the way that former Alabama defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson performed in Super Bowl LVI, as he totaled six tackles and a sack in football's biggest game. Walker has been impressed by the longstanding production of NFL caliber defensive linemen by Alabama, and that will be a factor in his decision-making process when that time comes.

Walker said that he has no timetable for his recruitment, as he wants to continue to build relationships with coaching staffs and find the best fit for him.