Just nine days after Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers fell to the Maryland Terrapins in the 2023 Music City Bowl in Nashville, Freeze and the Tigers won the commitment of former Maryland tight end Rico Walker.

After announcing his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 1, Walker received attention from programs like Pitt, South Florida, Tulane and JMU.

But at the end of the day, it was Auburn, where his father Ricardo once played on the Tigers’ defensive line in the 90s, that won Walker over. Ricardo Walker was a freshman on Auburn’s undefeated 1993 team.

Walker announced his commitment to Freeze and the Tigers Monday morning in a post to his Instagram.

The 6-foot-4 tight end will arrive to The Plains with three years of eligibility remaining.

During his freshman season with the Terrapins, Walker appeared in just four games and collected four passes for 27 yards.

A member of the 2023 recruiting class, Walker was rated a 4-star prospect by 247 Sports and was listed as the seventh-best recruit out of the state of North Carolina. Throughout his recruitment, Walker received offers from the likes of Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan and North Carolina, among others.

At Auburn, Walker will join a tight end room that returns Rivaldo Fairweather, Luke Deal, Brandon Frazier and Micah Riley.

With Monday’s commitment, Walker becomes the fifth addition to Auburn’s 2024 transfer class, which now features Walker, Georgia State wide receiver George Lewis, Kansas defensive lineman Gage Keys, Duke linebacker Dorian Mausi and Cal quarterback-turned-wide receiver Sam Jackson V.