The Gators will be without five-star recruit Chris Walker for at least the first five weeks of the 2013-14 season.
Walker, a McDonald’s All-American and the No. 6 player in the Class of 2013 according to Rivals.com, did not enroll at Florida before Tuesday’s drop/add deadline and will be academically ineligible to play during the fall semester.
Walker told ESPN on Tuesday that he is taking three online classes. He said he is confident he will complete his coursework and meet the NCAA’s academic requirements in time to be eligible by the semester break in December.
“Now I understand how serious high school is, and that you can’t take the work lightly,” said Walker, a Bonifay Holmes County High standout. “I didn’t do as well and work as hard as I should have early in high school. … It’s a minor setback.”
The University of Florida registrar’s office said on Tuesday that there is no record of Walker in its system.
A UF spokesman wrote in an email on Monday that the school will not make an official announcement about Walker’s eligibility for the time being, because it is not permitted to “comment publicly any further at this point” due to NCAA rules.
Walker’s letter of intent is currently null and void because he did not attend the first day of UF classes on Aug. 21.
The 6-foot-10 forward is now classified as a UF commit but can re-sign his letter of intent once he is ruled academically eligible.
Still, his loyalty to the Gators has not wavered.
“My plan is to definitely be at Florida,” Walker said. “I’m working every day to make sure I get to Gainesville.”
Said coach Billy Donovan on July 10: “The one thing that we’ve tried to explain to him is the work that he’s finishing up and doing, he doesn’t need to rush it. He just needs to get it done correctly, the right way. I think he’s working hard, trying to make sure that happens. ... The one thing I feel like with Chris is that, just talking to him, is his commitment to Florida and wanting to be here. He wants to make that happen.”
Walker is currently not listed on the school website’s men’s basketball roster for the 2013-14 year.
His absence for the start of the season is a blow to the Gators, but it’s one they can sustain.
With or without Walker, UF has its deepest frontcourt in years.
Florida returns senior center Patric Young and adds transfer big men Dorian Finney-Smith (Virginia Tech) and Damontre Harris (South Carolina) to the mix. Senior forwards Will Yeguete and Casey Prather should also factor into the rotation this year.
“They’re loaded,” Walker said. “Whatever role coach Donovan wants to use me, I’m good with it. I just want to get there and play college basketball.”
Follow Landon Watnick on Twitter @LandonWatnick.
