Michigan football continues to land defensive linemen at an elite pace. The Wolverines had five linemen committed in the 2026 class — including five-star Carter Meadows. But that number just rose to six after four-star edge rusher Julian Walker committed to Michigan over South Carolina, North Carolina, NC State and USC, among others.
Walker, the Irmo (SC) Dutch Fork prospect, chose to come to Ann Arbor for South Carolina, where his father is the Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach. Teaming up with Meadows and playing with defensive line coach Lou Esposito was too much to pass up.Walker is an athletic freak standing at 6-foot-6, 252-pounds and the Wolverines could line him up wherever they wanted. Edge rusher is his primary position, but Michigan could choose to move him inside if it needed to on certain downs. According to the Composite, the four-star prospect is the nation’s 197th-ranked player in the country, and the 20th-best edge rusher.Walker possesses great overall size and length that correlates well to the next level as a 3-4 defensive lineman. He has fluid movements to get past the offensive tackle from both inside and outside rushes. Chases the ball with a great motor and can turn and flatten down the line of scrimmage. Plays with reactive quickness and has a counter move. Walker has the strength and toughness to be disruptive against the run and make plays as a true 3-down player. Depending on body type and how he develops, Walker could potentially move inside on passing downs.
With Walker in the fold, here is a look at the Wolverines’ 2026 class: (Composite ranking)
