Top 100 EDGE Julian Walker flips commitment from Michigan to South Carolina

Top 100 edge rusher Julian Walker flipped from Michigan to South Carolina on Thursday.

The Columbia (S.C.) Dutch Fork High standout originally committed to the Wolverines in June but took trips to both North Carolina and South Carolina before finalizing his commitment and signing with the Gamecocks. 

Walker’s recruitment went through a series of twists and turns, but he chose to stay closer to home in the end. His father is an assistant strength and conditioning coach with South Carolina. The chance to continue to be developed by his father was one of the primary deciding factors.

He’s the No. 26 recruit in the country according to Rivals and the No. 6 EDGE nationally. The Industry Ranking considers him the No. 1 recruit in South Carolina as a 6-foot-6, 255-pound pass rusher. 

Michigan, led by defensive line coach Lou Esposito, built an extremely strong connection with Walker and his family and, by all accounts, his return trip to Ann Arbor over the weekend went really well. But after 48 hours full of intense conversations, he went in a different direction. 

The Wolverines now hold five defensive line and EDGE signees in the 2026 class— McHale Blade, Carter Meadows, Alister Vallejo, Tariq Boney and Titan Davis. 

Michigan now holds 26 commits in its 2026 recruiting class — five-star Mineral (Va.) Louisa County running back Savion Hiter, five-star Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga EDGE Carter Meadows, Top 100 Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha offensive tackle Malakai Lee, Rivals300 St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet defensive lineman Titan Davis, Rivals300 Billings (Mont.) West tight end Matt Ludwig, Rivals300 Needham (Mass.) St. Sebastian’s offensive lineman Marky Walbridge, Rivals300 Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith wide receiver Travis Johnson, Rivals300 Waco (Texas) Connally cornerback Jamarion Vincent, Rivals300 Liberty Hill (Texas) High defensive lineman Alister Vallejo, four-star Chicago (Ill.) Simeon EDGE McHale Blade, four-star Richmond (Va.) Hermitage defensive back Andre Clarke, three-star Cartersville (Ga.) Cass offensive lineman Bear McWhorter, three-star Washington (D.C.) St. John’s EDGE Tariq Boney, three-star Denver (Colo.) Mullen tight end Mason Bonner, three-star Dallas (Texas) Parish Episcopal wide receiver Jaylen Pile, three-star Richmond (Va.) Huguenot linebacker Markel Dabney, three-star Hinsdale (Ill.) Central kicker Micah Drescher, three-star Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis DeSales running back Jonathan Brown, three-star Wilmette (Ill.) Loyola Academy offensive lineman Tommy Fraumann, three-star Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier linebacker Aden Reeder, three-star Jackson (Miss.) Hartfield Academy linebacker Kaden Catchings, three-star Saline (Mich.) High quarterback Tommy Carr, three-star Newberry Park (Calif.) High quarterback Brady Smigiel, three-star Washington (D.C.) St. John’s offensive lineman Adrian Hamilton and three-star Phoenix (Ariz.) O’Connor long snapper Colton Dermer.

Michigan entered the day with the No. 12 ranked 2026 recruiting class nationally, per the On3 Industry team recruiting rankings. Michigan is also ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten. USC currently has the top class in the conference.