UVa has added to its 2012 class commitment total this weekend, securing a pledge from Salem (Virginia Beach, VA) standout Divante Walker . Walker, who committed while on an official visit in Charlottesville this weekend, gives Virginia its fifth 2011 first-team all-Beach District recruit in the class.
Walker chose the Cavaliers over offers from James Madison, Norfolk State, Old Dominion and Richmond. His decision came down to Richmond and UVa, and he took official visits to both schools within the past week.
The 5’10”, 175-pound prospect averaged 11.3 yards per carry in 2011, finishing with 1,688 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns for a team that averaged 39 points per game. He earned first-team all-district, first-team all-Eastern Region and first-team all-Tidewater honors for his performance.
“Other than (junior quarterback) Bucky (Hodges), [Walker] was our offense,” said Salem head coach Robert Jackson, who guided the Sun Devils to an 11-2 overall record in 2011.
UVa, though, is recruiting Walker initially to play cornerback.
“He could do well at cornerback. We just had people back there, so we didn’t have to play him,” Jackson said in a December article on TheSabre.
A 2-sport star at Salem, Walker also performs well on the hard court. He averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds per game last season as a junior. He is once again one of his team’s top players in this year.
Twenty-four high school seniors are now expected to sign with the Hoos on February 1. Another prospect, quarterback Greyson Lambert , committed last summer and graduated early from high school. He is already enrolled at UVa.
