The Oregon Ducks were unable to land the best player in the transfer portal, with former Texas A&M DL Walter Nolen announcing on Sunday that he would be transferring to the Ole Miss Rebels.
Last week, Nolen, the No. 1 player in the transfer portal, announced a final two schools, the Ducks and Rebels.
In two seasons with the Aggies, Nolen has played in 22 games and totaled 66 tackles, 11 TFL, 5 sacks, and one forced fumble. Standing at 6-foot-4, 325 pounds, Nolen instantly comes to Oregon as one of the bigger defensive linemen on the roster.
BREAKING: Former Texas A&M DL Walter Nolen has Committed to Ole Miss, he tells @on3sports
The 6’5 300 DL is ranked as the No. 1 Player in the Transfer Portal & was the No. 1 Recruit in the ‘22 Class 👀
Will have 2 years of eligibility remaining https://t.co/4pp4VZvAY9 pic.twitter.com/cRFxVu2PNs
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 24, 2023
The Ducks were a strong contender for the former 5-star recruit. Nolen’s relationship with Dan Lanning goes back to when the Oregon coach was at Georgia. The Bulldogs were deep in the recruitment for the 5-star player, who ultimately had Georgia among his final three schools before choosing the Aggies. I’ve been told that Nolen entered the transfer portal this season with the Ducks already among his top options of places to transfer to. This goes in line with what we saw a year ago when EDGE Jordan Burch decided to leave South Carolina and enter the transfer portal. As a former 5-star player, Burch also had a great relationship with Lanning from his time in Athens, and Lanning was able to continue that relationship and bring a highly-rated player to Eugene.
The Ducks have been highly successful in the portal this year, landing both Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel and UCLA QB Dante Moore, as well as Kansas State S Kobe Savage.
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