Blue chip edge rusher still hearing from Gamecocks football

Riverdale, Ga., defensive end Dante Walker, who camped at USC in June, said he’s still hearing from Gamecock recruiter Mike Peterson who likes him as an outside linebacker. 

Walker has been strong on USC but he said he needed to improve his academics and he’s done that this summer. He also just took the ACT for a second time. He said he’s also hearing from Tennessee, Georgia and Tennessee State. 

Walker said USC and Tennessee are the two showing him the strongest interest.

At 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, Walker played a lot of defensive tackle for his high school team. He led the squad with 69 tackles, 23 for loss, and had nine sacks. 

Note:

First Baptist High School running back Michel Dukes wrote off basketball as a college career last spring and even decided not to play AAU ball this summer. Dukes has changed his mind. 

He is playing with Upward Stars on the AAU circuit and recently landed his first basketball offer from IUPUI. So, he might again consider doing the football-basketball double. But, football is still first on his list and he said he hears from South Carolina recruiters Bobby Bentley and Pat Washington about every two weeks. He visited USC in June to watch camp. He also checked out the dorms and the academic side of campus on that visit. He also visited East Carolina in June. He said Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Oregon, North Carolina and Georgia State are also showing a lot of interest. He plans to take an official visit to Virginia Tech for the Notre Dame game if the Hokies are still strong with him then.