Why transfer John Walker picked Ohio State football the second time around
Defensive tackle John Walker transferred to Ohio State from UCF earlier this offseason after once turning down the Buckeyes in high school.
Ohio State missed out on defensive tackle John Walker four years ago. It was a loss on the recruiting trail owed to proximity. Walker was from a suburb of Orlando, Florida, and prioritized staying close to home.
“I ain't going to lie, I wasn't ready to leave my family,” he said. Walker ended up at UCF, signing with a school less than an hour’s drive from Kissimmee. The move to Columbus felt too daunting then.
“I knew I probably wasn't going to be right mentally,” Walker said. “It was the first time being away from home. ” But Walker ultimately found his way to Ohio State.
After he put his name in the transfer portal in January, he heard from defensive line coach Larry Johnson, the same position coach who had recruited him years earlier. “He’s still family to me,” Walker said, “even though I didn’t go to him at first. ” The relationship made a difference as Walker signed with the Buckeyes the second time around “When you build a relation with great players and you get a chance to go back to them, that relationship means something,” Johnson said.