How Walter Nolen culminated a big transfer portal haul for Pete Golding, Ole Miss

The NCAA transfer portal has become a significant part of roster building over the last couple years and few teams have utilized it better in that span than Ole Miss has this year.

The Rebels have added a number of high-profile Power Five starters to their roster this offseason, with the latest the addition of Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolen. Nolen is the the third major get along the defensive line for Ole Miss out of the portal.

“Yeah I mean it’s pretty spectacular. I guess maybe that’s the word you’d use,” On3’s Pete Nakos said on the Andy Staples On3 show. “Pete Golding has done a hell of a job at Ole Miss right now, bringing in Tyler Baron and then obviously Walter Nolen is the jewel of the 2024 transfer portal. They win him over Christmas Eve.”

Nolen started 14 games at Texas A&M over the past two seasons, including 10 in 2023. He tallied 66 tackles, 11.0 tackles for a loss, 5.0 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass defended.

He has some real quick-twitch ability inside, a trait that isn’t always common among college defensive tackles. Needless to say, his addition has been hailed as a massive get for the Rebels.

“Just what a two-week span for Ole Miss between the talent on the offensive side of the ball and then kind of capping it off with Walter Nolen,” Nakos said. “You knew Sunday morning it was happening by the time the tweets started to roll around.”

So with the addition of Nolen and the other players Ole Miss has added through the transfer portal, what’s the outlook for the Rebels in 2024?

Nakos believes it’s pretty cut and dried.

“This completely changes what the ceiling is going to be in 2024 in Oxford,” Nakos said. “It goes from, OK, Lane Kiffin‘s done a great job to all the sudden it’s College Football Playoffs or bust, in my opinion. And I say that obviously because they’re going to 12 teams. They would have made it this year.

“They’re going to bring back Jaxson Dart. Heard that Walker Howard has looked good in practice the last couple weeks. You get Juice Wells coming in. Quinshon Judkins appears to be coming back. Then you add what’s going on on the defensive side of the ball and things are looking great right now for the Rebels. Yeah, it’s CFP or bust at this point.”