Oregon Gets a Verbal Commitment From Junior College Linebacker, Joe Walker

This weekend Oregon hosted junior college linebacker Joe Walker. On Sunday he committed to the Ducks.

Walker is an extremely under the radar recruit. He wasn't recruited by D-1 schools out of Palo Verdes high school and grey-shirted his first year at Harbor College in Los Angeles while recovering from a shoulder injury. As a junior college player he is rated two stars by most recruiting services.

However, reports are that Walker is a classic late bloomer. He's had an excellent season at Harbor leading to interest from Division 1 schools from around the country. In addition to Oregon Walker has offers from Texas A&M, Duke, and Syracuse, and has also been linked to Arkansas and Wake Forest.

His coach at Harbor College says that Walker is one of the best players he's had in his 10 years at the school. He has a great work ethic and a good combination of size and speed: at 6'3 and 230 lbs he runs a 4.5 40-yard dash.

With the impending losses of Kiko Alonso and Michael Clay in 2013, Walker adds much needed depth and experience at the linebacker position. However, with four years to play three, he won't be rushed into duty on the field.

Walker is Oregon's 11th commit. He plans to enroll at the school in January and will have the opportunity to crack the two-deep in the Spring.