UGA gets pledge from N.C. linebacker

ATHENS — Georgia coach Kirby Smart picked up a commitment Sunday from linebacker Jalon Walker of Salisbury, N.C., who chose the Bulldogs over five other finalists: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, North Carolina and Ohio State.

Walker is a 4-star prospect, but just a hundredth of a point behind the third-highest of three 5-star commitments already pledged for Georgia’s 2022 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings system. The player just above Walker is Malaki Starks, a 5-star athlete who plans to play both offense and defense for the Bulldogs when he reports next year. Starks committed Thursday.

As for Walker, asked why he chose the Bulldogs over the other schools, he said, “Georgia I feel like has the best staff. Coach Muschamp, Coach Smart, Coach Lanning, Coach Schumann, they’re all great coaches.”

Interesting that Will Muschamp would be the first name out of Walker’s mouth during the live-tv announcement. The former South Carolina coach joined Smart’s staff as a defensive analyst in January and has been staying busy in a sort of personal consultant role for Smart. But clearly there was some recruiting interaction here with Walker, who he had previously courted as the Gamecocks’ coach.

Walker went on to laud the “hands on” head-coaching style of Smart as one of the main factors in his decision. “I’ve always heard about how he is in practice,” Walker said. “That’s the best situation for me. Just Georgia overall. ‘LBU,’ in my opinion. They always bring out the best linebackers.”