Salisbury (N.C.) four-star linebacker Jalon Walker is shaping up to be a priority target for Clemson and defensive coordinator Brent Venables in the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Walker (6-2, 210) scored one of the Tigers’ opening offers to rising juniors on June 1 and has been staying in touch with Venables since.

“We get in contact every week,” Walker told The Clemson Insider. “Just catching up and talking about recruiting and events happening across the country right now.”

Walker has been on Clemson’s radar for quite a while and is well on his way to building a strong bond with Venables.

“It’s gaining to be a really good relationship over the time since the beginning of my whole recruiting journey started with their program,” said Walker, who has gotten to know Clemson’s staff and some players over the past few years while participating in the Dabo Swinney Camp each of the last three summers.

Walker knows Clemson redshirt sophomore defensive end K.J. Henry particularly well, as Henry’s father served as the defensive coordinator on Walker’s father’s staff at Catawba College from 2013-16. Walker’s father has been Catawba’s head coach since 2012.

Along with Clemson, Walker has collected offers from Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M, Texas, Oregon, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest and South Carolina among others.

As of now, Walker’s recruitment is wide open, and he claims no favorites.

“Not at the moment,” he said. “Just enjoying the process at this time.”

Looking ahead, Walker hopes to ideally make his commitment this time next year heading into his senior year. When it comes to choosing a school, he says “having a place I can call my second home and relationship that will last a lifetime” will be important factors in his decision.

Clemson certainly has staying power with Walker and the legs to go the distance in his recruitment as one of his top college choices.

“I see the program as being a school that will always have my attention till my decision comes,” he said.

Walker is ranked by 247Sports as the seventh-best prospect in North Carolina, No. 15 outside linebacker nationally and No. 176 overall prospect in the country for the 2022 class.

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