Nation's No. 1 2022 DT Walter Nolen Commits to Aggies

The nation's No. 1 defensive tackle prospect made his college decision on Saturday Afternoon

Less than one hour before kick-off between Texas A&M and Auburn, Sports Illustrated's No. 1 interior defensive line recruit, and No. 2 overall player, Powell (Tenn.) defensive tackle, Walter Nolen has committed to the Aggies

Nolen becomes the 15th commitment for the Aggies, as well as the fourth commitment in the SI99, and immediately becomes the highest-rated recruit on Texas A&M's board.

Nolen, is visiting College Station for the third time in as many weeks, spoke with Sports Illustrated about the commitment. 

"I chose Texas A&M because Coach (Jimbo) Fisher has been building a lot of good teams around there," Nolen told Sports Illustrated. "Seeing how that defense has progressed over the years, it's like 'wow, I can actually be a part of something like that and be a part of a team with the number one defense in the SEC. A team with one of the highest sack totals coming from the defensive line in the SEC.' 

At 6-foot-4, and weighing 305 pounds, Nolen has the strength, athleticism and versatility to play multiple positions along the defensive front. He is disruptive and violent with his hands and has great quickness getting off the ball, as both a pass rusher and in run defense.

Should Nolen reach the ceiling that he is projected to have, he should be in line as a contender to be a first-round NFL pick at the end of his college career.

You can view SI All-American's full scouting report of Nolen below:

Nolen has fantastic lateral movement and exceptional balance. One of the strongest lineman in the country, in and out of the weight room. We haven’t noticed an ounce of stiffness (common in taller defensive lineman), and he’s a missile out of his stance. He doesn’t get washed, he doesn’t over pursue. Nolen maximizes his talents within his team’s system, yet he remains the star of the show whenever he steps on the field m -- in any setting. His motor combined with his size/speed is enough for any college coach to drool over. Will make any college defensive line unit deeper the second he steps onto campus.


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Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He 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 in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.