Five-star linebacker has family ties to Gamecocks. Will he choose USC?

Last year, Shane Beamer and the South Carolina football team kept on recruiting four-star cornerback Jalewis Solomon after he chose Auburn and eventually got him to flip his commitment to the Gamecocks.

Now, those efforts are providing a boost with another top prospect.

Five-star Schley County (Ga.) linebacker Zayden Walker is the No. 10 overall player in the Class of 2025, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, and has nearly two dozen scholarship offers from high-major schools.

But USC can offer Walker a unique opportunity other schools can’t: A chance to suit up alongside his older brother, Solomon, a dynamic two-way player who signed with South Carolina’s Class of 2024 and will enroll at the school this summer.

Walker and Solomon were high school teammates at Schley County in Ellaville, Georgia, through 2023. And Walker (the younger of the two) was often looped in on Solomon’s South Carolina recruitment.

Walker and Solomon both attended USC’s 2022 upset of No. 5 Tennessee as recruits, and during Solomon’s official visit with the Gamecocks last summer, “they made me feel like I was also on an OV,” Walker told On3 Sports last fall.

“Really good family feel with the staff,” Walker told the website last November after naming USC as one of his top six schools. “Really good connection with Coach Beamer — we text here and there.”

The No. 1 linebacker in the 247Sports composite, Walker is now taking further steps to check out South Carolina as a recruit. He made it up to campus in February, and last week he locked in an official visit to USC the weekend of June 21-23.

Walker has also scheduled visits to Georgia and Miami and is working to schedule one with Florida State. He told On3 Sports those visits would play a critical role in his decision-making and he had no timeline for a commitment.

“I don’t really want to put a date on my commitment because I will just do it when I feel I am ready,” Walker told the site. “I am looking into everything a school has to offer because it has to be a great fit for me on and off the field.”

Gamecocks and Zayden Walker

Walker, listed at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, is primarily being recruited by South Carolina defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Clayton White and is one of the highest ranked prospects on USC’s board.

An all-state linebacker selection for Schley County in 2023, Walker had 40 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 12 games. He also plays running back and has averaged 7.2 yards per carry in his varsity career.

USC and Beamer have been a player in Walker’s recruitment for a while, dating back to the Gamecocks offering him a scholarship in May 2022 ahead of his sophomore year. He’s made several trips to Columbia, including for the 2023 spring game.

Walker’s confirmed official visit for the summer will be a critical weekend for USC, which has landed a five-star recruit in each of the last two classes with five-star edge rusher Dylan Stewart in the Class of 2024 and five-star athlete Nyck Harbor, who plays receiver, in 2023.

The presence of Solomon also gives South Carolina a familial recruiting pitch. USC was considered one of the top destinations for Solomon before he verbally committed to Auburn in early August coming off an official visit with the Tigers.

As Beamer detailed in December, though, he got a text from Solomon around 2 a.m. that night reading: “Please don’t stop recruiting me.”

Solomon eventually decommitted from Auburn, saying he’d rushed his decision, and chose the Gamecocks in October.

Solomon had 17 interceptions and 20 pass breakups in his career as a cornerback on top of 3,400 yards and 34 touchdowns as a receiver. The No. 7 athlete in his class, Solomon will start his USC career as a defensive back but could move around, Beamer said in December.

“He’s a guy that you could put him anywhere — offense, defense, special teams — and I think he’s going to thrive,” Beamer said. “He’ll start out as a corner for us. That’s where we see him and we’re excited to get to work with him. Really could be a difference maker for us, I believe.”

Family ties initially played a role in Solomon’s commitment, too. Zykeivous Walker is the oldest of three brothers in the family — Solomon’s in the middle, and Zayden Walker is the youngest — and is entering his fifth season at Auburn, where he’s a defensive lineman.

But Auburn hasn’t gained much traction with Zayden Walker, who’s currently focused on Georgia, Miami, South Carolina and Florida State as he enters the last year of his recruitment.

South Carolina football 2025 commits

Listed in order of commitment date

• 3-star WR Jayden Sellers, South Florence (SC)