CBS Sports downplays Michigan football's latest commitment despite 4-star ranking

Michigan football is recruiting defensive linemen at a high pace. The Wolverines have landed six defensive linemen -- including edge rushers -- this cycle. The latest commitment came from four-star edge rusher Julian Walker, who chose the Wolverines over South Carolina. That's notable because his father is the assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach with South Carolina, but the opportunity to play in Ann Arbor with five-star Carter Meadows was too much to pass up.

Walker is the ninth-highest commitment for the Wolverines in the 2026 class, per the Composite. The 6-foot-6, 252-pound edge rusher is the nation's No. 197 ranked player and the No. 20 edge in '26. Walker plays for powerhouse Dutch Fork and knows what it's like to win games.

Following his commitment, CBS Sports updated its Commitment Impact Score rankings.

"The Commitment Impact Score (CIS) is a 1–10 score that reflects how meaningful a new commitment is to a program at the time it happens. It's not about long-term potential alone — it's about fit, timing, and program trajectory. A 3-star commit can sometimes matter more than a 4-star, depending on who else is on the roster and where the team is headed."

CBS Sports labeled him as a 6/10 for 'solid depth'. Despite Walker's four-star, top-200 ranking, he is viewed as a depth piece for Michigan. But down the road? Walker could wreak havoc for the Wolverines.

Julian Walker was a major rankings riser following a junior campaign in which he totaled 9.5 sacks for South Carolina's 5A champions. A long-limbed, front-line defender that can retrace and redirect with ease, Walker is similar in a lot of ways to Carter Meadows, who picked Michigan over Ohio State and Penn State this past weekend. 

Both Walker and Meadows need plenty of seasoning, but the fact that the two are committed to the Wolverines is bad news for the rest of the Big Ten because the folks in Ann Arbor have been one of the best in recent years at turning three-star pass rushers into NFL Draft picks. What are they going to do with a pair of traits-heavy towers?