Walter Nolen
| Ole Miss Rebels – No. 2 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle |
| Class | Junior |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 14, 2003 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 290 lb (132 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College | |
| High school | Powell (TN) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| |
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.
Early years
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ a b Khari Thompson (July 25, 2021). "Walter Nolen, nation's No. 1 defensive lineman, transfers from St. Benedict to Powell". Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c "Walter Nolen". Texas A&M University. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ "2022 ESPN 300". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Top Football Recruits". 247 Sports. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ "All winners, USA Today High School Sports Awards: Cade Klubnik, Kiki Rice among recipients". USA Today. July 31, 2022.
- ^ "No. 1 Defensive Recruit Walter Nolen Commits to Texas A&M Football". Sport Illustrated. November 6, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Top Defensive Recruit Walter Nolen Sticks with Texas A&M on Signing Day". Sports Illustrated. December 15, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Texas A&M DL Walter Nolen plans to enter the transfer portal". SB Nation. December 3, 2023.
- ^ "Texas A&M DL transfer Walter Nolen commits to Ole Miss". on3. December 24, 2023.