2025 prospect EJ Walker enjoys unofficial visit to Ohio State basketball
The trip to Ohio State wasn’t a surprise for EJ Walker. The versatile guard/forward in the 2025 class had already been to campus, having taken an unofficial visit for the Arkansas State game last season.
What did surprise him was leaving Sunday afternoon's game against Michigan State with a scholarship offer.
“I was really happy and excited,” he told The Dispatch. “It was a surprise for me and my parents. I’m very grateful that they feel like I can be someone to help the program.”
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EJ Walker has visited several universities
A 6-8, 220-pound prospect from Erlanger (Kentucky) Lloyd, Walker has been busy this winter taking visits and working on building relationships with the coaches who are recruiting him. He’s visited West Virginia, Purdue and Dayton in recent weeks and has more trips planned for the near future.
Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann and associate head coach Jake Diebler spent time with Walker and his family and extended the scholarship offer. Walker said the Buckeyes view him as a versatile player similar to one of their recent standouts.
Grateful for the faith in me. Thank you @ChrisHoltmann @JakeDiebler I’m excited to announce I have received an offer from THE Ohio State University! pic.twitter.com/tG5w78ws6v
— EJ Walker (@ejwalker_) February 12, 2023
“Playing that hybrid 4 position, they compared my role as someone like E.J. Liddell,” Walker said. “I’m very versatile so I can guard multiple positions and I am a playmaker.”
Purdue, Minnesota, West Virginia, Dayton, Xavier and others are known to have also offered Walker, who like most players in the 2025 class is currently unranked by the major recruiting services. He figures to add more offers and interest as his sophomore season winds down.
“In the next couple of weeks we will be playing in the district and regional tournament, then I will take couple days of rest,” he said. “Then back to working out everyday, preparing myself for my first AAU live period on the EYBL (circuit). I plan to visit Minnesota, Wisconsin and Virginia for the first time and visit Missouri.
“Then I plan to revisit the schools I have already visited since the fall. The goal is to keep building the relationships I have with coaches and programs.”
Those relationships will go a long way toward helping Walker eventually pick a school.
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“I’m looking for a school that provides a great education and fits my style of play and can develop me into the best player I can be on and off the court,” he said.
As Walker watched, Ohio State took a 62-41 loss to Michigan State on Sunday to drop its sixth straight game. The outcome of that game, or any particular season, isn’t something Walker said he’s concerned about as he weighs his options.
“Teams change year to year and I focus on the coaching, the culture, and how the relationships are between the players and the staff,” he said. “The culture (at Ohio State) is amazing. You can tell that the coaches care about the players beyond the court and they are as one. No one bigger than the program. The players have great respect for coach Holtmann and his staff. They also seem to get along with each other.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What did '25 forward EJ Walker think of Ohio State visit, offer?
