The Grove Report

Ole Miss Lands Massive Christmas Eve Commitment From Texas A&M Transfer Walter Nolen

The Ole Miss Rebels continue to dominate the NCAA Transfer Portal, landing No. 1 portal prospect Walter Nolen.

Matt Galatzan

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The Portal King is at it again. 

On Christmas Eve, Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels landed their ninth commitment from the NCAA Transfer Portal, securing former Texas A&M Aggies star, Walter Nolen.

Nolen, the 2022 No. 1 overall recruit and top prospect in the 2024 portal, played in 22 games during his two seasons with the Aggies. In 2022, he served as a rotational specialist before becoming the star of the trenches in 2023.

In 12 games, Nolen totaled 37 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. His ability to close gaps helped A&M feature one of the top FBS run defenses and added a second element to the pass rush up the middle.

Walter Nolen
Walter Nolen / © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Nolen, who was born in Memphis and spent the first years of his high school career in Olive Branch, Miss., originally committed to A&M over other top SEC programs, including Florida, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee. 

He was the highest-rated recruit to sign with A&M since 2000 and was the headline addition to the Aggies' No. 1 recruiting class in 2022.

Ole Miss Lands Commitment From Former South Carolina WR

He now makes his way back to his old stomping grounds in North Mississippi where he will join eight other elite transfers, including No. 1 transfer edge Princely Umanmielen, Tennessee safety Tamarion McDonald and edge Tyler Baron, Oklahoma safety Key Lawrence, Illinois defensive back Tahveon Nicholson, Arkansas linebacker Chris Paul Jr., Indiana Safety Louis Moore and Southern Miss offensive lineman Gerquan Scott.

The Rebels also will get back current roster stars Tre Harris, Caden Preiskorn, Jordan Watkins, J.J. Pegues, Suntarine Perkins, Trey Washington, and others. 

BREAKING: Rebels Land Commitment From Ex Gator Princely Umanmielen

Nolen, who will have two years of eligibility remaining at Ole Miss, was the first of several high-profile defenders from the Aggies 2022 class to leave following the changing of the guard at A&M. 

Now, he joins what has rapidly become one of the most talented rosters in the SEC

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of TheGroveReport.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels.

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