Elijah Walker to Kansas State: Wildcats Land 4-Star JUCO Safety Prospect

Kansas State added another piece to its 2017 recruiting class Wednesday, as 4-star junior college safety Elijah Walker announced his commitment to the Wildcats. 

Walker is the No. 9-ranked junior college prospect in the nation, according to Scout.com. He played junior college ball at Cerritos College in California.

The 6'2", 195-pound safety did not even play football in high school until his senior year and had to attend Cerritos while getting his grades situation figured out.

"I was forced to drop out my sophomore year due to family issues," Walker said, per Greg Benjamin of Rivals. "Cabrillo was the only school that accepted me because they knew what I was going through. I had to take a lot of extra classes to graduate, but I made it."

Walker originally committed to Kansas State but backed out in January. He hinted at committing to a Big 12 school with a tweet Jan. 24:

Walker is the 22nd player to commit to Kansas State, the first of four stars or higher. The Wildcats ranked 66th among 2017 classes at the time of his commitment, according to Scout.com. They will likely move up a bit once the rankings take Walker's commitment into account.

As a junior college transfer, Walker is likely closer to playing on Saturdays than most other recruits. His general limited experience playing organized football means he's a little raw, and he needs to add some weight to handle the rigors of playing safety at a Power Five conference school.

But if he can catch up to teammates in the coming months, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him on the field next season.