Wisconsin was the bridesmaid, not the bride, in the pursuit of EJ Walker out of high school. He was a 4-star recruit out of Kentucky who narrowed his list to South Carolina (where he ultimately landed), Ohio State, Purdue, and Wisconsin. The Badgers were considered one of the favorites after he visited Madison three times, yet he decided to be a Gamecock.
This season took a strange turn for Walker; he had originally planned to redshirt, but about halfway through the year, he burned it and started playing. That playing time turned into becoming a starter. After the Gamecocks went 13-19, Walker has decided to enter his name in the transfer portal, and Greg Gard shouldn't miss again.
South Carolina’s EJ Walker will enter the transfer portal, per his agents @DanielPoneman & @CoachGeorge4 of @WEAVE.
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 23, 2026
The 6-8 freshman forward was a redshirt for SC to start season, took his redshirt off mid-year and ended the season as a starter. Averaged 17.8 mpg in SEC play. pic.twitter.com/KKjQfbxbwb
Greg Gard is in the market for a player just like EJ Walker, who plans to portal
Related: A player who plans to hit the portal may be just what Greg Gard needs
It may not be overwhelmingly clear how EJ Walker fits into the mold for next season with the Badgers if Gard were to try to recruit him again. However, depth at the forward position was lacking all year. Adding Walker would allow Austin Rapp to slide into the "three" where Walker could also play if needed. There is an opening there with Rohde graduating.
Walker is a high-motor player who loves rebounding and can play inside-out. He shot nearly 30 threes this season in 22 games, but only six as a starter. Most of his early season he was playing only a handful of minutes. At the end of the season, he was averaging over 20 minutes per game.
When he was coming out of high school, he said this about Wisconsin and Greg Gard, "The feedback from the coaches was really just showing how much they want me and how I can fit into their program."
Gard had a fit for him once. Will he go after him again, or are there bigger priorities that Gard has to chase first? That will be a big offseason question. Walker is still young as a freshman this season and will be going into his sophomore year next year. He doesn't need to come in as a starter; he can come in as a force off the bench, who now has gained valuable starter minutes in the SEC.