South Carolina knew it had something in Julian Walker before he ever took a preseason snap, and now the freshman edge rusher is moving closer to the kind of role the Gamecocks expected all along.
Back in mid-June, before camp even got rolling, defensive coordinator Clayton White was already laying it out plainly.
“ Julian Walker is going to be a guy that’s going to create some havoc. He’s going to play a lot.
He’s not going to be on the sidelines,” the Gamecocks’ sixth-year defensive coordinator said. “You’re definitely going to see him.
He’s going to have a force on this defense.”
A few months later, White says Walker has kept trending the right way. The biggest change, in his view, has come in the details and in how quickly the freshman is processing what he’s seeing.
“His first rep was better than any rep he took during the spring. So that was a great sign,” White said.
“I think mainly it’s the details that he’s improved in. I think understanding the picture that’s presented by the offense.
That’s going to help him play faster and have more of an impact.”
Walker flipped a longtime commitment from Michigan to South Carolina in December, a move that always felt like a real possibility because his father, Jamil Walker, is entering his fourth year with the Gamecocks’ strength and conditioning program. Even so, it was never treated like a sure thing.
What did make Walker look like an immediate fit was the frame. At 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds, he has the kind of size that shows up fast on Saturdays and makes quarterbacks feel it.
With Dylan Stewart hurt, the path to early snaps has opened even wider. Stewart is almost certain not to play on Sept. 5, and Walker looks set to be part of South Carolina’s defensive end rotation right away. For now, he’s a solid fourth in line behind Caleb Herring, Anthony Addison and Jaquavious Dodd.
The staff has liked what it has seen from the freshman’s approach, too.
“From him I’ve seen a lot of growth. His want factor is super-high,” linebacker Fred “JayR” Johnson said.
“He’s super-locked in on keys and details. He takes film super-serious.
He’s eager to learn.”
Walker’s production at Dutch Fork High backed up the hype. As a senior, he had 19 tackles for loss during another state championship season. As a junior, he piled up 19 more tackles for loss, including 11 sacks.
South Carolina knows exactly what kind of label comes with that kind of resume, especially when a highly rated edge prospect is stepping into a room that already includes another big-name young rusher in Stewart.
“There are two different styles of players, but definitely not comparing anyone to Dylan Stewart. Julian has his own style,” White said.
“He’s a freshman. He’s going to have freshman mistakes.
But he’s a good player.”
The Gamecocks have enough athletes on the edge to keep rotating, and Walker’s arrival only adds to that flexibility. Stewart’s injury has given the rest of the group a chance to show what they can do, and even when he returns, nobody in that room is expected to be sitting back.
The more USC rotates, the fresher those edge rushers stay. And when Stewart does come back, he’ll still need time to get back to full game shape. That means the Gamecocks can use him when they really need him most.
Walker is ready for that chance if it comes.
“As a freshman, he’s done some great things. He has a lot of guys to learn off of in the edge room and I think he’s taken their coaching, coach (Deion Barnes’) coaching, and applied it to the field,” lineman Kelby Collins said. “He’s a long physical player that’s going to help us this year.”
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