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Ohio State was active in the transfer portal following the conclusion of the 2025 season, bringing in over 20 players who had played college football elsewhere.
One of those new faces for the Buckeyes is defensive tackle John Walker, who previously spent three seasons at UCF. Walker will be looked at to help fill the void at defensive tackle left by Kayden McDonald and Tywone Malone Jr.
Coming out of high school, Walker was a four-start recruit out of Kissimmee, Florida. As a senior, Walker registered 79 tackles, 16 of those stops coming behind the line of scrimmage, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles, earning an invite to the Under Armour All-American Game.
Ohio State was one of the teams who offered Walker when he was in high school, but the defensive tackle decided to stay in-state and attend UCF.
In his first season with the Golden Knights, Walker appeared in 13 games, finishing with 24 tackles and five tackles for loss. Following his freshman campaign there was excitement about Walker’s role with in UCF’s defense, but injuries derailed Walker’s sophomore season, as he missed all of 2024 and was forced to redshirt.
Fully recovered from the injury that forced him to miss 2024, Walker was a force on the interior of UCF’s defensive line last season. Walker’s best games came against West Virginia and Houston when he recorded a career-high seven tackles in each contest.
After finishing the season with 40 tackles and three tackles for loss, Walker announced he was entering the transfer portal.
Ohio State and defensive line coach weren’t going to miss out on Walker twice. The Buckeyes were able to earn the commitment of Walker during the offseason, adding to the depth at the position. With Eddrick Houston lining up as a 3-technique defensive tackle, which will see him rush the passer more, Walker will be looked at as more of a run-stopping defensive tackle.
The main objective for Walker at nose tackle will be to take up space an occupy blockers. The more attention Walker can garner on, the less resistance his teammates will have in getting into the backfield. At 6-foot-2 and just over 300 pounds, Walker not only has size, he also still has a low center of gravity that allows him to drive and work his behind the line of scrimmage to slow down opposing running backs.
Walker won’t be able to just waltz in and take over as a starter on the line, since Ohio State also brought in James Smith from Alabama. Will Smith Jr. and Jason Moore also return and will be looking to earn more snaps this season.
With a number of quality players at the position, rotation will help keep guys fresher, making them tougher for opponents to handle later in games.
There’s no question Walker is already a great talent, as evidenced by his play in the first two seasons he was on the field for UCF. Now Walker will have the chance to reach the next level under the tutelage of Johnson and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
What will also help Walker this season is he’ll have a lot more help on defense than he did during his time at UCF. Competition with his teammates will fuel Walker’s desire to not only help Ohio State win a title, but also to shine bright and impress NFL scouts.
Early reports out of preseason camp are that Walker is the favorite to line up next to Houston when the Buckeyes kick off their 2026 season against Ball State. If Walker is able to continue to get the starter’s reps throughout the season, he could be the fifth Ohio State defensive tackle drafted since 2024.
If Walker is able to get the majority of the snaps at nose tackle, the only question that will remain is if he declares for the 2027 NFL Draft or decides to return to Columbus for one more season.