Georgia and South Carolina among those battling at the top for 5-star LB Zayden Walker
Ellaville (Ga.) Schley County five-star linebacker Zayden Walker has the countdown ticking toward his decision date. In a little less than two months — on July 5 — he will announce his commitment between Georgia, Miami, Penn State and South Carolina.
Walker will visit Georgia on May 31 officially. Penn State gets the second official visit on June 7, then Miami on June 14 and South Carolina on June 21. But Walker will be in Athens again this weekend, a place he’s been on probably close to a dozen occasions.
The Bulldogs have been a constant in his recruitment and will be until he signs in December, regardless of whether he commits to UGA in July.
According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), this one is Georgia’s to lose. And DawgsHQ.com’s Rusty Mansell believes it’s a two-team battle at the top right now to land him.
“We’ve learned that June visits make July decisions over the last two cycles. And this is going to be one of those,” he told On3’s Josh Newberg on Wednesday during the Inside Scoop recruiting show. “This is an unofficial, but I think he’s back in two weeks for an official. To me, he has list his of schools but me personally, I think this is going to come down to Georgia and South Carolina. His half-brother, Jalewis Solomon from Schley County, just signed over there with South Carolina. It was a big deal, and he’s a really good player. So if you look at that situation, he’s got some strong ties to South Carolina.
… But Georgia has been recruiting him for a long, long time. Since he was a freshman. … He is every bit worthy of a five-star prospect, and Georgia has not let up one ounce on him.”
Walker talks Georgia, Miami, Penn State and South Carolina
In an interview with On3’s Chad Simmons earlier this month, Walker broke down each of his final four programs.
Georgia: “It just feels like family up there. Everyone knows me. From Kirby Smart to the recruiting girls that help the program, everyone knows me. It makes me very comfortable. Me and Coach Schu (Glenn Schumann) have a tight bond too.”
Miami: “I love the fire at Miami. The staff shows a lot of love and they have a lot of energy. I love Coach D Nic (Derek Nicholson) and how he coaches, how he recruits me and all the energy he brings. Coach Mario Cristobal is turning that program around.”
Penn State: “I am really cool with DJ Bryant (Recruiting Coordinator) and I like Coach Tom Allen a lot. I haven’t visited Penn State, so I don’t know as much about them, but I like how they have recruited me and I want to see what it is like.”
South Carolina: “I have a chance to go into South Carolina and play right away. They are losing three linebackers, so that has my attention. I love Coach Shane Beamer too. I got to know him while they recruited my brother and we have a great relationship. Coach Clayton White and I have a strong relationship too.”