For the 2nd time in 4 days, the University of Georgia has added a highly-coveted defensive standout in the class of 2022. Malaki Starks committed to the ‘G’ on Thursday, and today, Jalon Walker has pledged to play between the hedges.

Jalon Walker is a 6’2″ 220 pounds outside linebacker from Salisbury, North Carolina. Georgia beat out Clemson and the North Carolina Tar Heels for Walker’s commitment and now are up to 10 commitments in the class of 2022. Walker is the 9th of those 10 commitments that will play on the defensive side of the ball at Georgia, with quarterback Gunner Stockton being the only offensive commitment so far in the class. With players like Adam Anderson, Quay Walker, Channing Tindall, Nolan Smith, and Nakobe Dean all eligible for the NFL Draft after the 2021 season, Walker’s commitment is well-timed. It will be big for depth purposes in the future should this commitment hold all the way through signing day.

With still a year to go in high school, Walker is already bigger than some of the notable Dawg linebacker recruits of the past were in Roquan Smith, Channing Tindall, and is close to the same size Nolan Smith was his senior year at IMG. Walker displays great fluidity in his hips in pass coverage and explodes through ball carriers on tackles. On film, the newest UGA commit shows a desire to get to the ball at all costs and has the speed to chase down plays from the backside. Walker joins a talented class of linebackers for Georgia in 2022, with Cedric Washington and Donovan Westmoreland having made their commitments a while back.

Walker is the 7th 4-Star prospect that has committed to Georgia in the class of 2022. Also, Walker is only the 2nd out of state commitment for the Dawgs in 2022 (Bear Alexander is from Denton, Texas). COVID-19 seems to have prospects trending toward staying home for the time being, but the Dawgs were able to go into the Tar Heel State and pull a talented linebacker. The latest addition brings Georgia ever closer to Ohio State for the number 1 spot in the class.