Hail Florida Hail
Fansided

Florida football: 5-star linebacker will be in The Swamp this weekend

By Will Thomas

Nov 12, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Florida football is doing a lot of work in the class of 2024 recruiting-wise, with top wideout Jeremiah Smith and current commit DJ Lagway on campus this weekend.

But we can’t overlook what they’re doing in the class of 2025 as well.

In addition to the already impressive list of visitors in The Swamp this weekend, the top linebacker in the 2025 class will also be in attendance.

5-star Zayden Walker will be making his first visit to Gainesville this weekend, and he needs to be a priority recruit in the 2025 cycle.

You can see Walker’s film here. 

Before we get into the tape, let’s just look at his measurements. As a sophomore in high school, Walker weighs in at 220 pounds and stands at 6’3”.  That’s crazy size for someone in the class of ’25, and it’s clear how much bigger he is than everybody else on his film.

247 Sports Composite rankings are very high on Walker, and I expect his ranking to only improve as time goes on. He’s currently listed as the 17th-best player in the country and the top linebacker. Zayden is also the third-ranked player coming out of Georgia.

As if all of this wasn’t impressive enough, his film is just ridiculous. There are multiple plays where he’s blitzing off the edge and picks off a quick pass and brings it back for a score. To have those instincts, reflexes, and ball skills as a linebacker are special.

He also has ridiculous speed for his size, and it shows on the tape. Again, there’s more than one instance where he catches up to a ball carrier that’s 5-10 yards ahead of him. Having that ability, plus being willing to put in the effort to make that play is something that coaches love.

Walker is a recruit that Napier can’t afford to let slip away. Having him on a rival team would be a nightmare and a matchup problem for just about everybody.

Plucking Walker out of Georgia would be a big win on the trail as well, showing those Bulldogs that we’re willing to go toe-to-toe for top talent.

Napier better make a good impression on Walker this weekend. He’s one of the best talents in the 2025 class.

Keep up with Florida football at Hail Florida Hail. 

Home/Florida Gators Football Recruiting