4-star DL John Walker enrolls at UCF

Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola four-star defensive lineman John Walker has enrolled at UCF, he shared over social media on Sunday night. He chose to stick with the Knights amid a large push from Florida.

Walker is the No. 100 overall prospect and No. 12 defensive lineman in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 24 player in Florida.

IM ALL IN⚔️@Coach_Martin95 #GoKnights #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/4Zu7TAWxQT

— John walker (@55problems__) December 19, 2022

Keeping the 6-foot-2, 230-pound recruit is a massive win for head coach Gus Malzahn and his staff. The Florida native is the highest-ranked member of UCF’s 2023 recruiting class. Before Walker’s news, four-star linebacker Andrew Harris and four-star linebacker Michael Harris — brothers who play at Altamonte Springs (Fla.) Lake Brantley — backed off their pledges to the Knights.

Walker, who received an in-home visit from defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin on Dec. 5, has an On3 NIL Valuation of $120K. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

John Walker On3 Scouting Summary

The following is the On3 Scouting Summary for John Walker:

“Compactly-built enforcer along the defensive front who wreaks havoc on interior offensive linemen with his knock-back ability. Measures in at right around 6-foot-2, 300 pounds with a 33-inch arm and an elite 6-foot-10 wingspan. Shows impressive raw power and strength in his hands. Naturally plays low to the ground due to his stature. Does an excellent job of initiating contact due to arm length. Sneaky athletic with his quickness, resulting in a quality get off.

“Jumped a 26-inch vertical and ran a 4.69 second shuttle with a 7.43 3-cone this spring prior to his senior season. Showed his ability as an interior pass rusher as a junior tallying 13 sacks. Lacks ideal stature for the position but has compensatory length. One of the older prospects in the 2023 recruiting cycle.”