Report: Potential landing spots for former No. 1 overall recruit Walter Nolen

News broke Sunday night that Texas A&M defensive lineman and former No. 1 overall recruit Walter Nolen was planning to enter the transfer portal. Nolen is now in the portal, On3 has confirmed, and searching for his home for the 2024 season.

There will be plenty of suitors for Nolen, who recorded 37 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks in 2023.

Steve Wiltfong spoke with Nolen’s father on Monday about potential landing spots for his son. One option is returning to Texas A&M.

With that said, Nolen has several other options. Tennessee and Michigan both heavily recruited Walter Nolen when he was a recruit, prior to him signing with the Aggies in the class of 2022. Those two programs, and Tennessee in particular, are under consideration once again, according to Wiltfong.

Wiltfong added that several other big-time programs, including multiple schools in the SEC, will get a look from Nolen and his family. Among the potential landing spots are Georgia, LSU, Oregon and Texas, per Wiltfong.

Nolen signed with Texas A&M as the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry rankings. The Tennessee native immediately made an impact for the Aggies, playing in 10 games while making four starts as a true freshman.

For his career, Nolen has appeared in 22 games and recorded 66 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 5 sacks.

More on Walter Nolen entering the transfer portal

On Sunday, Walter Nolen released a statement to On3 about his plans to enter the transfer portal.

“First off, I wanna thank God for putting me in the position that I am in today,” Nolen told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. “It has been a good run over the past 2 years, a lot of ups and downs. 

“Being here at Texas A&M has taught me a lot, on and off the field, but with that being said I will be entering my name into the transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility.

“My Recruitment is WIDE OPEN!”

Track transfer portal activity

As of December 6th, 1,310 FBS players have entered the Transfer Portal.

While the NCAA Transfer Portal database is private, the On3 Network has streamlined the reporting process tracking player movement. If you find yourself asking, ‘How can I track transfer portal activity?’ our well-established network of reporters and contacts across college athletics keeps you up to speed in several ways, from articles written about players as they enter and exit the transfer portal or find their new destination, to our social media channels, to the On3 Transfer Portal.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Industry recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).

The On3 Transfer Portal Rankings allow for you to filter the On3 Industry Rankings to find the best of the best in the portal, starting with Overall Top Players.

You can dive deeper into the rankings and filter by position whether it is Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Tackle, Interior Offensive Line, Edge, Defensive Line, Linebacker, Cornerback, Safety, Athlete, Kicker, Punter, or Long Snapper you’re looking for.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.