Ducks Digest

Oregon Set to Host Walter Nolen, No. 1 Ranked Player in Transfer Portal

Nolen entered the transfer portal earlier this week and could help the Ducks fill a big need.

Max Torres

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The Ducks are getting right to work in the transfer portal.

Former Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolen will visit Oregon this weekend, according to a report from Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.

Nolen officially entered the transfer portal earlier this week and quickly shot to the No. 1 spot in both the 247 and On3 transfer portal rankings.

He opted to look for a new home after spending the last two seasons with the Aggies, who paid a massive $77 million contract buyout for former head coach Jimbo Fisher and have since hired Duke's Mike Elko as the new head coach. 

While in College Station, Nolen played in 22 total games. He recorded 66 total tackles, 5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. He also broke up one pass, forced one fumble and recovered one fumble. 

He graded out with a 72.7 defense grade according to Pro Football Focus. He had a 73.5 run defense grade and a 69.0 pass rush grade in the 2023 season.

Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolen in a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks / © Dustin Safranek-USA TODAY Sports
Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolan against the Alabama Crimson Tide / © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolen is carted off the field in a game against the Tennessee Volunteers.  :: © Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Originally from Powell, Tennessee, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive lineman signed with the Aggies as a five-star (0.9997 per 247Sports Composite) recruit  in the 2022 cycle. He was ranked the No. 2 player nationally, the No. 1 defensive lineman and the No. 1 recruit in Texas. 

Nolen's portal entry continues a trend of top-ranked defensive linemen from Texas A&m's historic 2022 recruiting class leaving the program, along with LT Overton and Anthony Lucas (USC).

Dan Lanning and the Ducks have a clear need along the defensive line, as they're set to lose Popo Aumavae, Brandon Dorlus, Casey Rogers and Taki Taimani following the 2023 season. Lanning recruited Nolen while he was still on the Georgia coaching staff and Nolen had the Bulldogs as one of his final schools before ultimately choosing the Aggies. 

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Max Torres
MAX TORRES

Max Torres is the publisher and lead editor of Ducks Digest. He's covered the Oregon football and recruiting beats for four years. He's based out of Long Beach, CA and travels around Southern California and the country covering top high school football prospects.

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