Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 56-3vs Ball State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 23-24@ Texas | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Total | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#55
John Walker
New school, new number, same question — and John Walker's early answer at Ohio State is No.96 4★, national recruit.
6′3″ · 302 lb · Kissimmee, FL
CFB Index 54 · #146 of 330 interior linemenLow confidenceTransferred UCF → Ohio State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
5 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 4 tackles, at Texas
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive tackle on Ohio State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to UCF in 2023.
- Transferred from UCF to Ohio State in 2026.
Buzz vs Tape
Every angle we can check here reads about where you'd expect this season.
12own fans
0rival fans
Also checked out fine:
In Their Words
86 windows · 2026 fan posts
john×95.3james×23.5smith×17.7
“DT John Walker (Official Thread) 247 Profile Rivals Profile HUDL Profile Kissimmee (FL) Osceola High School Defensive Tackle 6-4 324 lbs Class of 2023”
board/Buckeye Football · fan post, verbatim
John Walker
On Trialas of 2026-09-15
John Walker arrives at Ohio State with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
5TACKLES0SACKS
4★ · NATIONAL RECRUIT
No.96
recruiting national rank
Ohio State fans can't agree whether the tape backs the reputation.
medium confidence5 sources
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
4 programs, one constant: he played.
202310 games
- Signed with UCF4-star out of Osceola
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Ryan Day.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Ohio State
2025UCF
2026Ohio State
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023UCF6-7HC: Gus Malzahn · Run-leaning
2025UCF5-7HC: Scott Frost · Balanced
2026Ohio State1-1HC: Ryan Day · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 2.5 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ryan Day
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
54 · #146 of 330 interior linemen
Former four-star. Now #146 at the position.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ohio State | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | UCF | 31 | 17 | 2.5 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | UCF | 17 | 11 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 53 | 31 | 7.0 | 1.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 56–3
vs Ball State
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Nose Anchor
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Naquan Crowder’s 2025 season.
81%match
Matches Naquan on
Sack rate
Weight
Hurry rate
Differs from Naquan on
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to D'Ante Robinson's sophomore season at North Carolina (2025).
79%match
Matches D'Ante on
TFL rate
Weight
Hurry rate
Differs from D'Ante on
Class year (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like John Walker
Background
Honors and Awards 2025: Big 12 All-Academic Team 2023: On3 Defensive True Freshman All-American Team, Big 12 Honorable Mention Defensive Freshman of the Year, On3 Midseason True Freshman All-American Team Career Highs 7 Total Tackles (Two Times last vs. UCF on Nov. 7, 2025) 2.0 Tackles for Loss v...
The defensive line · Ohio State
- #2Kenyatta Jackson11 tackles for loss · 2025
- #3James Smith6.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #96Eddrick Houston4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #55John Walker2.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #12Beau Atkinson2.5 tackles for loss · 2025
13 more on the roster · Ohio State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology