PicKell: Landing Walter Nolen ‘part of the next step for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss’
Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss football Rebels are in the midst of one heck of a transfer-portal hot streak.
They’ll look to keep the momentum going this weekend.
Ole Miss is set to host Walter Nolen, who’s ranked as the No. 1 overall transfer in On3’s Industry portal rankings. Nolen, a defensive tackle, had 66 tackles (37 solos) in 22 games over two seasons at Texas A&M. He added five sacks and a forced fumble. Thirty-seven of his tackles and four of his sacks came this season.
“This is a part of the next step for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss,” On3 national college football analyst J.D. PicKell said Monday, in previewing Nolen’s trip to Oxford. “They’ve been good now the last couple of years. Two 10-win seasons in the last three years. Lane Kiffin’s starting to build that thing up and continues to utilize the portal well.
“But the difference between Ole Miss being good in the SEC and competing for SEC titles? What separates them from schools like Alabama and Georgia? Having the big boys.
“The big boys, they resemble a lot of what Walter Nolen looks like.”
Rebel Recruiting Rewind: Ole Miss push for Walter Nolen shouldn’t come as a suprise
Ole Miss officially accepted its invitation to the Peach Bowl on Tuesday.
The Rebels, on December 30 at 11 a.m. CT, will face off against Penn State for the first time in history and in a matchup of 10-win teams. Ole Miss is making its second New Year’s Six bowl appearance in four years under Kiffin. A win would secure the program’s first-ever 11-win campaign.
The Rebels have stayed winning on the recruiting trail, too. Ole Miss has a Top 20 high-school class, and the Rebels have committed four transfers so far, with more seemingly on the way.
Florida EDGE Princely Umanmielen, for example, took a mid-week visit to Ole Miss. The Rebels are considered the favorite to land him. Umanmielen last season led Florida in sacks (7.0), tackles for loss (career-high 11.5) and quarterback hurries (17.0). He was named All-SEC. himself All-SEC Second Team honors and a spot on the USA Today Sports Network All-SEC Team. He was the Gators’ highest-graded defensive player, per Pro Football Focus.
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Nolen, meanwhile, visited Oregon last weekend.
He played his sophomore high-school season at nearby Olive Branch. Nolen was the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit, and a five-star, in 2022.
“Signing Walter Nolen is an effort to close that talent gap,” PicKell said. “Lane Kiffin’s going to raid (the portal). Walter Nolen visiting Ole Miss, is it really a surprise? This is just Lane Kiffin doing Lane Kiffin things. The last two years, he’s bodied the portal. It’s what he does. He’s going to live through the portal.
“I’m going to say this, too: You don’t sign that many transfers in back-to-back years if you don’t have your NIL ducks in a row. (Nolen’s visit) is massive. Ole Miss, they champion (Kiffin). They’re leaning all the way into the Lane Kiffin Experience and they’re winning football games because of it.
“Landing a guy like Walter Nolen is the next step.”
Check out the full segment — from PicKell’s daily On3 college football show, The Hard Count — in the video below.
