4-star DL John Walker commits to UCF: 'They're all locked in.'

During his recruiting process, UCF made Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola four-star defensive lineman John Walker a priority. The Knights’ staff would call him three times a week and get excited when the top-100 prospect stopped by unannounced.

Head coach Gus Malzhan, defensive coordinator Travis Williams and defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin worked hard to keep one of Florida’s top recruits home. Their efforts paid off when Walker committed to UCF Thursday night over Michigan and Ohio State, becoming the highest-ranked prospect to commit to the Knights under Malzahn.

“They had me at top priority. They showed me they need me,” Walker told On3. “You know how people just say I’m this and that just cause they want me to go to their school, but like man, it shows like they really want me. Every office I go to, they have me as the top priority. I’ll be a really big part of their scheme.”

Walker was “locked in” with Ohio State for his sophomore and junior year, but never told any Buckeye coaches. Then, UCF started to stand out. He liked what he saw and heard around the campus in Orlando. He felt a bond with the coaches and believed they were “good people.”

He was so confident that he silently committed to the Knights on May 1. His official visit on June 3 showed him that he made the right decision for his college football career. Even though Michigan stood out towards the end, Walker decided to stay in the Sunshine State.

“They’re really cool people,” Walker said of UCF’s staff. “I love their scheme they run. I like the energy they have when it’s practice, when it’s time to watch film. They’re all locked in. They really want to change the program around. I feel like this school would be a really good fit for me and for my family.”

Martin and UCF’s staff made Walker confident in commitment

Strong relationships with UCF’s staff played a key role in Walker’s decision. One of the coaches he connected most with was Martin, who came to Orlando from Western Kentucky. Since he joined Malzahn and the Knights, Martin focused on landing Walker.

“He said he watched a bunch of guys’ film, lot of d-tackles and he hasn’t seen no one that do what I do on the field,” said Walker, the No. 90 overall prospect and No. 9 defensive lineman in the 2023 On3 Consensus. “And he said that, man, he’d then locked up on me for like forever. He’s just been recruiting me really hard and I just fell in love with him and the whole coaching staff.”

This feeling extended to whenever Walker visited the Knights. On his visits, he felt like UCF coaches were always excited to see him and that everyone knew his name around the facility. Additionally, he was welcomed every time he walked in. Walker estimates he has been on campus more than 10 times.

These experiences, along with his relationship with Martin, helped him realize that he was ready to silently commit. After telling his parents the news, he got on a call with Martin and let him know that he was coming to UCF.

“Man, he was so excited,” Walker said. “He was all turnt. He was shocked. He kept on yelling. He was happy. He was really happy.”

According to Walker, Malzahn and Martin were the only member of UCF’s staff who knew he was committing to the Knights before his announcement.

When he eventually arrives in Orlando, Walker isn’t just excited to learn from Walker. He is ready to help UCF chart a new chapter in its program history. The Knights are headed to the Big 12 in 2023 and according to Walker, have a really good team and really good recruiting classes coming.

“It’s gonna be really big,” Walker said. “I see us going to the playoffs and hopefully, making it to the national championship and winning it. Like UCF is going to be back to how they used to be.”