Another day, and another top recruit has picked Alabama. DE/OLB DeMarcus Walker pledged to the Tide on Friday evening, giving coach Nick Saban 19 oral commitments and one of the top classes for 2013.
Walker, who is ranked as the No. 26 overall player in the nation by 247Sports.com, plays DE for Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Fla., but he will be used as a hybrid DE/OLB in Alabama's 3-4 scheme.
"I'm a great rusher," Walker told TideNation, an affiliate of ESPN.com. "I can protect the run very good. I'm aggressive and quick also. (Alabama) compared me to Courtney Upshaw, but I'm my own person. I don't compare myself to anybody. I'm going to mix and match a little bit of everything."
At 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds, he fits right in the size mold of the Alabama OLBs. The top current OLBs on the roster are Adrian Hubbard (6-6, 255) and Xzavier Dickson (6-3, 265). Upshaw, the player Walker has been compared to, was 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds during his time at Alabama.
Walker still plans to take official visits to Tennessee, LSU, Auburn and USC, in addition to Alabama.
He hasn't had any problem getting to the QB so far in his senior season (video courtesy of 247Sports):
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