Michigan DL Deone Walker moves Alabama into top five after offer
Detroit Cass Technical defensive tackle Deone Walker got long-awaited good news on Sunday. Walker received an offer from Alabama football after several months of communication with the Tide.
Walker, a three-star two-way lineman, cut his list of 30 D-I offers down to five in mid-July. However, the new offer out of Tuscaloosa has him rethinking.
“I had been talking to Alabama, but I didn’t expect it,” Walker said. “I thought I was going to have to wait, but I feel blessed and I was excited.”
Michigan, Georgia, Missouri, Kentucky and Arizona State comprised the initial top five. Now, with Alabama officially in the race, the Sun Devils are the odd man out.
Walker decided to take only unofficial visits this summer, saving his official visits for the fall. He’ll definitely be back in Tuscaloosa after competing at a Nick Saban camp in June.
“Working with the coaches was good, they’re real high energy down there,” Walker said. “It feels like they’re the national champs but everyone there is still so humble, they just want to work.”
Deone Walker has a defensive tackle mentality
Walker’s measured at nearly 6-foot-7 with an 81-inch wingspan and he is currently 340 pounds, though he’d like to play down around 320 pounds.
The programs in his top five can see him on both sides of the ball. Alabama, Georgia and Michigan like Walker as a defensive tackle, while Missouri and Kentucky see him as an elite QB protector.
“I would say I’m a defensive tackle with offensive lineman’s knowledge,” Walker said. “I know what they’re taught to do. I don’t really have a preference. I’ll play wherever the school I want to go to wants to play me.”
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Deone Walker’s a hot commodity in Michigan
There’s no doubt the Michigan Wolverines want to keep Walker in-state when 2022 rolls around. Michigan doesn’t have any interior defensive linemen committed so far, so landing Walker, the No. 10 player in the state, is a high priority.
“They’re (recruiting) really hard,” Walker said. “I know that my family can be up there for games. They told me that I’ve got a real good chance to play early there, and I feel like my connection with the defensive staff has just grown.”
The close-to-home factor is a plus for Michigan, but the Walker family isn’t putting pressure on the Cass Tech standout to limit his options based on distance.
“They don’t really care, they said to me ‘If anything ever happens, they’re just a phone call away,'” Walker said.
Despite a slower process than some of his 2022 classmates, Walker doesn’t see himself dragging his recruitment out all the way until signing day either.
“I might commit in September, maybe October,” Walker said. “I may go out to see some other schools, too. I want to see Arkansas, Texas, Oregon.”
