DL John Walker Places Gators in Top 5, Moves Up Commitment Date
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Photo: John Walker; Credit: University of Florida Football Communications
Not long after Osceola (Fla.) teammates, defensive lineman Derrick LeBlanc and cornerback Ja'Keem Jackson announced changes to their recruitment timelines fellow teammate, DL John Walker did the same, moving up his commitment date and announcing his top five schools via Instagram.
Along with Florida, Walker listed UCF, Michigan, Miami and Ohio State among his top schools. Those don't come as much of a surprise as Walker has already made official visits to all five schools.
Walker, along with LeBlanc and Jackson were set to announce their commitments on the same date, Oct. 22. That changed, however, when the trio changed their minds, intending to make a commitment sooner than anticipated.
Walker, 6-foot-2, 320 pounds, is graded as a four-star prospect, and the No. 10 DL in the country. He's ranked as the No. 19 player in the state of Florida and the No. 92 player nationally, according to On3 consensus.
The big-man defensive lineman has made four unofficial visits to Florida, most recently taking the trip to Gainesville on May 14. He has also set official visits up with five schools, including the Gators. The other teams are Ohio State (June 24), Michigan (June 10), Miami (June 17), and UCF (June 3).
"The vibe is really cool with him," Walker said of Florida head coach Billy Napier in May during one of his unofficial visits. "He's a really cool guy laid back, dude. He just wants to get his team straight. And when it's time to play, he's on that. He's disciplined and he has a plan."
Florida is looking to secure commitments from multiple defensive linemen this recruiting cycle, and Walker is one of the program's apparent priorities in doing just that.
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