Michigan football EDGE commit reportedly delaying signing until Thursday

Out of the weekend, it seemed like Michigan football was trending in the right direction to be able to hold onto four-star EDGE commit Julian Walker despite his home state school South Carolina making a strong push.

According to a prior report from Rivals' Steve Wiltfong, Walker had a good visit to Ann Arbor with his mother during Ohio State weekend, with a source indicating to Wiltfong that Walker told head coach Sherrone Moore and the staff that he was ready to sign with the Maize and Blue.

That could very well still be the case, but Walker, as first reported by Rivals' Hayes Fawcett and later confirmed by Ethan McDowell of The Wolverine, is delaying his decision until Thursday to make anything official.

INTEL: We have an update on elite Michigan EDGE commit Julian Walker's signing day plans.

The latest on the nation's No. 26 recruit: https://t.co/XnyZ97it2u pic.twitter.com/S2xkRrfTlj
— Ethan McDowell (@ethanmmcdowell) December 3, 2025

Will it be the Gamecocks or the Wolverines?

The Dutch Fork (SC) prospect has been committed to Michigan since the summer, but has been to South Carolina for numerous visits throughout his recruitment, including this fall.

According to McDowell's report, Walker and his family have been in "deep conversation about his future since Tuesday afternoon."

Those conversations reportedly continued into Wednesday morning. With that being the case, Walker and his family made the decision that he isn't going to rush into an announcement and will wait until Thursday, which still falls within the window of the early signing period (Friday is the last day of the early signing period window).

“I think we first will discuss what’s the best fit for me and where my heart really is,” Walker toldThe Wolverine Tuesday afternoon. “The second thing we will discuss is how it affects our family. We have to ask ourselves— How does this decision affect our dynamic and can we make it work?"

Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito watches a play during the second half of the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Walker and his family returned from Ann Arbor back home to Clumbia on Monday morning, McDowell reported. Between recovery from that trip and preparation for Dutch Fork's state title game this Saturday, Walker and his family had not had enough time to fully think the decision through, according to the report.

The delay is meant to buy the family more time to full talk through what is a difficult decision, according to McDowell's report.

Walker is the No. 72 rated player in the class of 2026, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. He is ranked as the No. 11 EDGE rusher and is the top-ranked player in his class in the state of South Carolina.

This is a developing story. Check back with Michigan on SI for the latest updates on Michigan football.

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