C.J. Walker, a former five-star recruit who was a freshman at Oregon last season, announced Monday he will transfer to UCF.

Ranked as the No. 32 prospect in the Class of 2019, Walker will be the first five-star player in UCF history.

The move from Eugene to Orlando was not unexpected. Walker, who is from Sanford, outlined in his Oregon departure tweet that he desired to be closer to home.

"As the Coronavirus has tragically continued to spread across the country forcing our nation into lockdown, it has given me a lot of time to think about my future and what's in the best interest of my family and our health - both mentally and physically," Walker posted to social media last week. "These past few months have been tough on everyone and I understand this will be a long battle ahead. During his pandemic I'm also heavily dealing with ailing family members who are high risk with underlying conditions living back in my hometown of Sanford."

After thanking the University of Oregon for embracing him, Walker continued:

"There is so much uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, the upcoming season and even if one will be played next year, I have decided the best decision I can make for both my mental and physical health is to return home and be close to my family and my support system, to continue to train and work at becoming the best person and basketball player I can be, to get back to a positive and healthy mindset, and to keep working towards my ultimate goal of becoming an NBA player one day."

Walker attended three area high schools during his prep career: Seminole (freshman), Orlando Christian Prep (sophomore, junior) and Oak Ridge (senior). He was an early target of UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins and visited campus multiple times during his high school recruitment. Walker however eventually focused on a final three of Oregon, Miami and LSU before picking the Ducks.

During his senior year in 2018-19, Walker averaged 15.8 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocked shots and was named the Orlando Sentinel's Player of the Year as well as the Class 9A Player of the Year. He was also the runner-up for Mr. Florida Basketball.

He appeared in 28 games at Oregon in 2019-20, starting seven, while averaging 4.0 points per game.

With the addition of Walker, UCF has now filled all 13 available scholarships. He'll join a group of newcomers that include grad transfer Darius Perry (Louisville) and freshmen Isaiah Adams and Jamille Reynolds.