USC trending to flip 2024 LB Jadyn Walker from Michigan State

An eventful recruitment is reaching its home stretch for Portage (Mich.) Northern three-star linebacker Jadyn Walker.

With just two weeks to go until the February National Signing Day, USC is trending to flip Walker away from Michigan State, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. The Trojans have a 98.4% chance of pulling off the flip, per the RPM.

Three expert predictions have been logged in favor of USC over the last week. USC insiders Marshall Levenson and Scott Schrader, as well as Michigan State insider Kenny Jordan all logged picks with 60% confidence levels.

Walker initially flipped his commitment from Toledo to Michigan State in September immediately after receiving an offer from the Spartans. Since then, Michigan State has been through a coaching change and USC offered Walker in December.

Walker is the nation’s No. 1,162 overall prospect and No. 112 linebacker in the 2024 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking — a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 23 recruit in Michigan.

Walker building relationships with USC staff

Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and head coach Lincoln Riley both traveled to Michigan to meet with Walker last month.

“It was great,” Walker told WeAreSC. “We had good conversations and I got to learn more about Coach [Riley] personally. [Riley also] told me new things about the campus and areas that I didn’t know and all the cool stuff. I enjoyed it a lot!”

Walker told WeAreSC last week that Riley has played a big role in his recruitment.

“Me and Coach Riley’s relationship, I think it’s pretty good,” Walker said. “He talks to me the most out of any of the coaches. Coach Lynn’s a super cool dude. When I went out there, me and him connected quite a bit and he was super cool dude and coach. Me and Coach Entz talked on the phone prior to this [visit], probably like three times previously. And then today, me and him just got to know more about coach. And we talked a lot of football, which was nice. I think that I’m building a pretty close relationship with all the coaches so far.”

Walker’s mother is a big part of his recruitment and is a sounding board for him. He says that she too is in big support of USC.

“She likes it a lot. The thing she likes the most is that, as she said, all the coaches pour into the players. Like, it’s not just like the position coaches with their certain players. She feels like over there, and I feel this too, that it’s more a thing of careing about the players. It’s not all about the NIL and stuff like that. The coaches really care about the players, honestly. So that’s how we feel on them.”