Just a few hours after officially announcing that freshman guard Bradley Beal will forfeit his remaining eligibility and declare for the 2012 NBA Draft, the Florida Gators received a bit of good news as three-star small forward DeVon Walker (Winter Haven, FL) officially committed to join the team’s 2012 recruiting class.

A member of the Rivals150 as the No. 142-ranked player in the country, Walker originally committed to Central Florida but changed his mind and gave his pledge to Florida over Alabama, Clemson and Kansas State on Friday. He averaged 23.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists during his senior year at Winter Haven High School.

News of Walker’s choice leaked Thursday evening though it was a badly kept secret that he had decided to stay in-state and play for the Gators earlier in the week.

Florida’s pursuit of Walker undoubtedly and understandably intensified once head coach Billy Donovan had an inclination that Beal would leave the program early and got final word of his player’s decision on Monday.

At 6’6” and 187 lbs., Walker has a lot of versatility and will play wing for the Gators though he may also be called upon to help the team in the post in a smaller lineup. He is already solid on the defensive end and will concentrate on improving his shot and overall offensive game in order to become even more of an all-around player.

Walker is the fourth player to commit to be part of Florida’s 2012 signing class joining four-star point guard Braxton Ogbueze (Charlotte, NC), four-star G Michael Frazier (Montverde, FL) and three-star G Dillon Graham (Orlando, FL). The Gators have one open scholarship remaining and are hoping that five-star power forward Anthony Bennett (Henderson, NV) chooses to fill it when he makes his decision in early May.