When it comes to recruiting, Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore has already earned the golden hat. After all, he went to great lengths to flip No.1 quarterback recruit Bryce Underwood. Well, Moore is not ready to hit the ‘SETTLE’ button yet, and his trying his level best to keep the Wolverines’ boat afloat in the 2026 recruiting trail. As per On3’s Industry Ranking football Team Recruiting Rankings, Michigan stands at No.9 with 20 recruits locked in.
June was a hot month, with Michigan football gaining 12 commitments, and July has shown no signs of slowing down. Their latest recruiting hunt must be a big moral boost for Moore and co. On July 1, the Wolverines grabbed the commitment from 4-star EDGE Julian Walker. And what makes it a big win for Moore? Julian opted for Michigan over finalists South Carolina and UNC. But here, more than Moore, the credit for the recruitment goes to someone else.
First, the Wolverines were able to steal Julian away from his home state. And what’s more surprising is the fact that he is the son of Jamil Walker, who is the strength and conditioning coach with the South Carolina Gamecocks. This has been a surprise for the father, too. After all, Jamil, who played for and coached at Wisconsin until his son was around 10 years old, has seen Julian grow up rooting against Michigan. But in the end, the young chap started to lean towards Ann Arbor. Was the coach upset finding out his son was boarding Moore’s wagon? Not at all. The proud father said, “Julian has his own things that he’s chasing. He’s been with me every step of the way, and now he’s making his way.”
Jamil Walker coaches at South Carolina, but he helped Michigan commit @Julian3Walker carve his own path as a recruit.
“Julian has his own things that he’s chasing. He’s been with me every step of the way, and now he’s making his way”
Behind the scenes: https://t.co/AVfAdr4e7Z pic.twitter.com/iGZGjywycx
— Ethan McDowell (@ethanmmcdowell) July 1, 2025
And one can note how happy Julian is to find himself in Moore’s squad. The Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork defensive end runs high on enthusiasm. After the commitment, Julian said, “I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to be a MICHIGAN MAN.” Well, Moore must be grateful too. After all, Jamil has been a supportive father and actually made his son’s Michigan dream come true. “So many people thought that it was just a given for him to come. Julian has his own thoughts, Julian has his own dreams and Julian has his own things that he’s chasing. He’s been with me every step of the way, and now he’s making his way. And I just think people have to understand that,” shared the recruit’s father.
Now, this kind of sensitivity is often not spotted in a highly competitive arena like college football, where players often follow their dads’ footsteps. Jamil has made peace with the fact that there is nothing personal in this. Julian’s heart will still be for South Carolina, but it’s just that Moore’s Michigan gave off a different vibe that he felt as soon as he arrived on campus for his Victors Weekend official visit. But how did it all start?
Sherrone Moore’s Julian Walker gamble paid off
Julian lived in Wisconsin and Arkansas before spending the past couple of years in South Carolina. South Carolina’s pitch was rooted in ‘Stay home’ messaging. However, it did not take long for Moore to move the 4-star’s recruitment quickly. After all, the craze for the No.20 EDGE has been real; he received his first Power Four scholarship from Syracuse on January 21. That’s when Moore could not afford to wait any longer.
On February 13, they dished out their offer to Julian. Now, kudos to Moore for taking the risk. After all, many shied away from pursuing Julian because of his family connection to South Carolina. But Moore got the motivation from his defensive line coach, Lou Esposito, who did not worry about that at all, and his effort paid off four months later. The young chap was watching a pep rally at Dutch Fork High when Esposito reached out, asking for a phone call. And what was his reaction?
Julian Walker shared, “When he said it, ‘We want to offer you,’ I was in complete excitement and shock. I got an offer from Michigan. A school like that, I knew the significance of it. I grew up watching them.” While Moore could not make it, assistant defensive line coach David Denham visited Columbia and went for breakfast with Julian and his mother, Yodanna. About a month later, Esposito flew down to Columbia to have dinner with Julian and his family. And as we know, making the recruits feel like a priority never goes wrong.
This time, Sherrone Moore’s Michigan had hit the right spots. As Jamil said, “I had as high of respect for Michigan as I had for anybody throughout this process because of their honesty and their perspective of how they viewed him, how they wanted to utilize him and play him.” Let’s just hope Moore sticks around long enough to taste the fruits of his recruiting grind.
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