5-star DL Walter Nolen commits to Texas A&M

The Texas A&M Aggies have their guy in five-star defensive lineman Walter Nolen.

The Powell (Tenn.) star committed Saturday to Texas A&M while on a visit to College Station, Texas. He chose the Aggies over Tennessee.

Nolen’s commitment could be the start of a great weekend for A&M. In addition to playing a high-profile game against Auburn, On3 National Recruiting Analyst Gerry Hamilton predicts Missouri City (Texas) Fort Bend four-star wide receiver Chris Marshall will choose Texas A&M over USC this weekend.

Nolen is one of only four players ranked as Five Star Plus+ prospects in the 2022 class along with athlete Travis Hunter, receiver Evan Stewart and cornerback Domani Jackson. The recognition means they are the only players ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five star.

Stewart is also visiting Texas A&M this weekend.

The On3 Consensus – a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies – rates Nolen as the No. 2 prospect in the nation. He is also the country’s top overall defensive lineman.

Walter Nolen is a huge boost to A&M’s top-10 recruiting class

Texas A&M entered Saturday with the ninth-best recruiting class in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking. Nolen’s commitment gives the class three five-star recruits. Only Alabama has more.

The other five-star commits in the class are Beaumont (Texas) West Brook defensive back Bryce Anderson and Cypress (Texas) Bridgeland quarterback Conner Weigman.

There may be a few more five-star recruits coming too. In addition to Stewart, Texas A&M is one of the favorites for linebacker Harold Perkins.

Nolen is the second defensive line recruit along with Flower Mound (Texas) Argyle four-star Jadon Scarlett.

The Aggies now have 15 total recruits. Only three of them come from outside the state of Texas.

On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power said Nolen’s ability to be an impact player as a pass rusher and run defender sets him apart from other 2022 defensive line recruits.

“Walter Nolen has a unique combination of size and athleticism at defensive tackle,” Power said. “This is a 6-foot-5, 280-pounder who can line up on the edge and beat top offensive tackles with a speed rush.”