Ole Miss transfer Amorion Walker set to return to Michigan
Ole Miss transfer Amorion Walker is back like he never left, except he did depart Michigan Wolverines football for head coach Lane Kiffin and the Rebels in January. He spent one semester in Oxford, before entering the portal earlier this week. Now, he’s announced his commitment to Michigan, where he played two seasons.
Walker has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He’s expected to play wide receiver at Michigan. He competed at that position as a freshman in 2022 before moving to cornerback in 2023. He practiced as a defensive back this spring at Ole Miss.
He’s the third transfer commitment Michigan has landed in the last week, joining former Arkansas State kicker Dominic Zvada and former Youngstown State wide receiver C.J. Charleston, who pledged earlier in the day.
The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder played in five games and totaled 66 defensive snaps in 2023. He tallied 3 tackles, including a half-stop for loss, and added a pass breakup in a 49-0 beatdown of Michigan State in late October.
The Ponchatoula, La., native is known for his athleticism, which landed him on The Athletic‘s ‘freaks list’ last summer at No. 12 in the nation. According to Bruce Feldman, Walker ran a 3.89-second shuttle that would’ve been tops at the 2023 NFL Combine. His 6.10-second three-cone drill (hand timed) would be the fastest in combine history.
Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was all for Walker moving to defensive back in 2023, even calling him a likely starter last spring. However, Walker took time to adjust to the position, and an injury in fall camp that lasted through the first month of the season stunted his development.
“Where is he going to make the greatest impact over the course of his career, benefit the most from his football ability,” Harbaugh said of what he was seeking. “You just don’t know for sure whether it’s receiver or corner but the length he has, the athletic ability he has, speed that he has, and the change of direction mainly for a guy that’s 6-3, 6-4, it’s rare for a corner to have that length and speed but have that change of direction. Just want to find out.
“The work ethic is so strong with him. Right now, he’s chasing strength and power. If we’re right, he could be the type of corner, there are none like him. Like a unicorn.”
Prior to the 2022 season, Harbaugh described Walker as part of a trio of “freak show” freshman wide receivers, along with Tyler Morris and Darrius Clemons, who’s since transferred to Oregon State.
“[Walker] is doing some incredible things,” Harbaugh said in February 2022, when the wideout was a freshman early enrollee. “He ran a 6.25 three-cone the other day, had a 43-inch vertical jump. All three of those receivers are outstanding.”
Walker saw time in six outings as a freshman in 2022, burning his redshirt. He made 1 catch for 4 yards, which came against UConn. He did see time on the defensive side of the ball versus Hawai’i, foreshadowing the move he made the following offseason.
A three-star recruit, Walker was the No. 470 overall player in the country, per the On3 Industry Ranking.
