Walter Nolen

Walter Nolen (born October 14, 2003) is an American football defensive tackle for the Ole Miss Rebels. He was rated by ESPN and USA Today as the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 college football recruiting class.

Walter Nolen
Ole Miss Rebels – No. 2
PositionDefensive tackle
ClassSophomore
Personal information
Born: (2003-10-14) October 14, 2003
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight290 lb (132 kg)
Career history
College
High schoolPowell (TN)
Career highlights and awards
  • USA Today Defensive Player of the Year (2021)

Early years

Nolen played high school football at three different schools: Olive Branch High School in Olive Branch, Mississippi, as a freshman and sophomore; Saint Benedict at Auburndale in Memphis as a junior; and Powell High School in Powell, Tennessee, as a senior. He also enrolled for a time at IMG Academy but did not play there.[1] His coach at Powell, Matt Lowe, described him as "a young man who has been blessed with size, speed and athleticism."[2]

In his senior year at Powell, he had 93 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 27 quarterback hurries, and 17 sacks.[3] He was rated by ESPN as the No. 1 football recruit in the 2022 recruiting class.[4] He was ranked No. 2 by Rivals.com and 247Sports, behind Travis Hunter.[3][5]

After his senior year, he was invited to play in the Under Armour All-America Game.[3] In July 2022, he was named Defensive Football Player of the Year by USA Today. He was also rated by USA Today as the country's No. 1 recruit for 2022.[6]

College career

Nolen received offers from numerous schools and narrowed his final five to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, and Tennessee.[1] In November 2021, Nolen committed to play college football for Texas A&M.[7] He later paid an official visit to Tennessee, raising speculation that his commitment was uncertain. He then signed his letter of intent with Texas A&M in December 2021.[8][9] He was part of a recruiting class at Texas A&M that was rated as the best in the history of recruiting rankings.[10]

On December 3, 2023, Nolen announced his intentions to transfer from Texas A&M.[11]

On December 24, 2023, Nolen announced his commitment to Ole Miss and signed his national letter of intent.[12]

References
  1. Khari Thompson (July 25, 2021). "Walter Nolen, nation's No. 1 defensive lineman, transfers from St. Benedict to Powell". Memphis Commercial Appeal.
  2. Douglas Clark (November 4, 2021). "High School Sports Awards: Meet Tennessee's Walter Nolen III, dominant defender and current No. 1 football recruit in the country". USA Today.
  3. "Walter Nolen". Texas A&M University. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  4. "2022 ESPN 300". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  5. "2022 Top Football Recruits". 247 Sports. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  6. "All winners, USA Today High School Sports Awards: Cade Klubnik, Kiki Rice among recipients". USA Today. July 31, 2022.
  7. "No. 1 Defensive Recruit Walter Nolen Commits to Texas A&M Football". Sport Illustrated. November 6, 2021.
  8. Emily Adams (December 15, 2021). "Walter Nolen, No. 2 recruit in the nation, signs with Texas A&M on National Signing Day". The Knoxville News.
  9. "Top Defensive Recruit Walter Nolen Sticks with Texas A&M on Signing Day". Sports Illustrated. December 15, 2021.
  10. Perroni, Brian (May 23, 2022). "Late Kick: Texas A&M DT Walter Nolen a freaky true freshman to watch this season". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  11. "Texas A&M DL Walter Nolen plans to enter the transfer portal". SB Nation. December 3, 2023.
  12. "Texas A&M DL transfer Walter Nolen commits to Ole Miss". on3. December 24, 2023.
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