Texas A&M's Walter Nolen carted off field vs. Tennessee

Saturday has not been kind to Texas A&M on the injury front. Some defensive stars have gone down at Neyland Stadium and defensive lineman Walter Nolen is the latest. A play where Tennessee fans thought Nolen was just trying to slow down the pace, it turned out to be a serious injury.

Nolen went down holding his right leg and attempted to stand back up. He went straight back down to the ground and medical staff from both sidelines rushed out to him. You could tell Nolen was in a ton of pain as the CBS broadcast caught his emotion.

Eventually, the cart had to come out for Nolen, driving him off the field and into the locker room. A scary sight for everyone involved and a heartbreaking one for the player.

They are bringing the cart out for Water Nolen. He did try to stand up but went back down. pic.twitter.com/ADPzTNpZE9

— 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕤 𝕃. 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 (@Travis_L_Brown) October 14, 2023

Nolen played high school football at Powell (TN) High School, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

So, coming back to Knoxville likely meant something to Nolen. Playing in your home state can be emotional for any player, especially when choosing an out-of-state program. Texas A&M did a great job of securing Nolen’s signature away from a few schools — one of them being Tennessee.

Walter Nolen having incredible 2023 season for Texas A&M

The most frustrating part of the injury for Texas A&M has to be how well Nolen has been playing to start the 2023 season. It’s something you would expect from a former No. 1 overall player in the country but Nolen was going to earn some serious honors for his play once the year was over.

Heading into the Tennessee game, Nolen had recorded 22 tackles with 7.5 tackles for a loss, and four sacks. Just an incredible presence on the line of scrimmage and somebody opposing offensive lines continually had to deal with.

Everyone in College Station will be hoping the full injury diagnosis for Nolen is not too serious. If there is any kind of positive, it’s Texas A&M is coming up on a bye week. They will not be back onto the field until Oct. 28, facing off against South Carolina at home.

An update on Nolen will surely come from head coach Jimbo Fisher during his press conference once the game is finished.