5-star Walter Nolen ready for Texas A&M official visit

This weekend is shaping up as the biggest recruiting weekend of the season for Texas A&M. And the most important name on the visit list is five-star DL Walter Nolen of Powell (Tenn.) High.

Nolen, the nation’s No. 6 player overall, confirmed Thursday on social media he will be in College Station for the Aggies’ game against No. 1 Alabama.

It’s a pivotal recruiting weekend for A&M with a massive list of prospects in the 2022 and 2023 classes coming to town. It’s also a critical weekend for the Aggies in their pursuit of Walter Nolen.

The official visit to A&M for Nolen was well known. But it’s always reassuring to see such an important prospect confirm it.

Let’s go #Gigem this week

— Walter Nolen9️⃣🏈🏈 (@WalterNolen4) October 7, 2021

Walter Nolen has impactful visits on the horizon

Walter Nolen, who is 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds, took official visits to Florida and Michigan over the summer. He returned to Gainesville and Ann Arbor for games in September, and one of those schools remains in the race.

Nolen has a top three of Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. But there are really five schools being considered.

“After I visited Florida for the Alabama game, that really put them back up there for me,” Walter Nolen told On3 National Analyst Chad Simmons. “I still have the same top three, but Florida and Alabama are right there, too. Those are the five schools I am focused on.”

He has taken a couple of unofficial visits to Knoxville since making the move and he is set to return. Nolen plans to be at Tennessee in a couple of weeks for the Ole Miss game for an unofficial visit, then back for an official visit at a later date.

Alabama has been in this as long, if not longer than of the schools on his list. Nolen started visiting Alabama early in high school and he is familiar with the Crimson Tide. He has taken four visits to Alabama, and he is set for the fifth.

Nolen ready to see Aggieland

Walter Nolen took an unofficial visit to Texas A&M in July, and that visit changed things with the Aggies.

“I saw a lot of things at Texas A&M I didn’t know about when I went there in the summer,” Nolen told Simmons. “It opened my eyes. I see it as a fun environment with great coaches, and good players. They have good facilities, the stadium is great, and it was a great experience for me.”

Defensive line coach Elijah Robinson plays a big role in the Aggies making a significant move, too. They have gotten close, developed a strong relationship, and the communication is strong.

“E-Rob is just a cool coach,” Walter Nolen said. “We have some great talks. He has a laid-back approach with me, but he always keeps it real, and we talk about everything.

“I am ready to build off that first visit and spend more time with him this weekend. We have talked about the Texas A&M defense, my fit, and I am ready to learn more about that.”