Tag: Walter Nolen

Elite transfer portal defensive lineman does not pick USC — or Oregon

Walter Nolen to Ole Miss.

The USC Trojans need high-end defensive players in the transfer portal and elsewhere in order to reach a championship standard. One of the defensive players they hoped to get in the portal was Texas A&M transfer Walter Nolen, one of the most coveted defensive prospects in the country.

On Sunday, USC looked under the Christmas tree and found that its stocking was empty. The Trojans watched Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels walk away with Nolen, part of a huge portal class in Oxford.

This is not good news for USC, and we’re not going to tell you this is a minor development. It’s significant to lose out on a significant portal prospect. However, there is a minor piece of good news tucked inside this generally negative story: Oregon, the school which has been a thorn in USC’s side in recruiting and the transfer portal, did not get Nolen either. At least USC knows Dan Lanning and the Eugene Machine did not get another big piece for their 2024 roster.

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Former Texas A&M DL Walter Nolen to transfer to Ole Miss over Oregon

Former Texas A&M DL Walter Nolen will reportedly transfer to Ole Miss, choosing the Rebels over the Oregon Ducks.

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.

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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Breaking: Former Texas A&M sophomore DL Walter Nolen will transfer to Ole Miss

This weekend, Lane Kiffin has persuaded two talented prospects to switch from Texas A&M Maroon & White to Rebels Cardinal Red & Navy Blue.

Throughout December, Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin has persuaded multiple talented prospects to switch from Texas A&M Maroon & White to Rebels Cardinal Red & Navy Blue.

According to a report from 247Sports national college football reporter Matt Zenitz, former Aggies sophomore defensive lineman Walter Nolen has chosen Ole Miss as his next destination via the NCAA Transfer Portal. He officially entered the portal on Dec. 6 after mulling over the decision for about three days.

Per On3 Sports, Nolen visited the Rebels program two weeks ago after visiting Eugene to check out the Oregon Ducks program. Nolen joins 2024 3-star quarterback recruit Anthony Maddox in flipping from Texas A&M to Ole Miss this month.

Nolen tallied 66 tackles (37 solos), five sacks and a forced fumble during two seasons with the Aggies. This year, he increased his production with totals of 37 tackles and four sacks.

Nolen was among the highest-rated players in Texas A&M’s 2022 recruiting class, which ranked No. 1 in the nation. Former Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher racked up eight 5-star signees and 20 more 4-star recruits.

Texas A&M is not scheduled to play the Rebels next season so the Aggies will have to wait until at least 2025 to match up against Nolen and Ole Miss.

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Walter Nolen announces top two schools in transfer portal recruitment

Oregon is still alive in Walter Nolen sweepstakes as he has the Ducks and Ole Miss as his Top 2 destinations.

It’s down to Dan Lanning and Lane Kiffin.

Prized defensive end Walter Nolen, who has spent the last two seasons at Texas A&M, tells On3 he has whittled his choices to Oregon and Ole Miss.

For the past two years, Nolen has been one of the top defensive ends in the SEC and the country. When he announced he was entering the transfer portal, schools basically lined up for his services.

Fortunately, the Ducks and Dan Lanning were one of just a few schools that were granted a visit. Since Oregon made the final cut, that visit must have gone well.

This past season, Nolen had 37 tackles, 8.5 for loss and four sacks for an underachieving Aggies team that chose to buy out head coach Jimbo Fisher’s contract to the tune of close to $80 million.

Oregon has done well in the transfer portal so far by signing quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma and Dante Moore from UCLA. Adding Nolen would make an already good defense even better as the Ducks go into the Big Ten next season.

Report: 5-star QB Malachi Nelson, who took unofficial visit to Texas A&M in 2022, enters transfer portal

Texas A&M was the final school that Nelson visited in 2022 before choosing USC, so the Aggies may be at the top of his upcoming visits list.

Texas A&M sophomore defensive lineman Walter Nolen was the biggest name in the NCAA Transfer Portal — until the weekend concluded.

That distinction now belongs to USC true freshman quarterback Malachi Nelson. According to On3 Sports college sports business & transfer portal reporter Pete Nakos, the 5-star recruit officially entered the portal on Sunday night.

Nelson took an unofficial visit to Texas A&M on July 28, 2022. He signed his letter of intent with USC on Dec. 21. Now nearly one year later, Nelson is searching for his next destination.

Texas A&M was the final school that Nelson visited before formally committing to the Trojans, so the Aggies may be at the top of his list for an upcoming visit. Nelson is listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. He graduated from Los Alamitos High School in California last year.

According to 247Sports, Nolen remains ranked as the No. 1 transfer player available in the portal. Nelson is slotted as the No. 5 quarterback and No. 21 overall player.

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Report: Michigan State DL Derrick Harmon to visit Oregon this weekend

The Oregon Ducks are expected to host former Michigan State DL Derrick Harmon on a visit this weekend

One of the bigger areas of need on the Oregon Ducks roster this offseason is at the interior defensive line. While there are a number of young players who look likely to be able to take on a bigger role and step into stardom, it’s clear that Dan Lanning and the Ducks are targeting some big bodies to fill holes left by the departures of Brandon Dorlus, Casey Rogers, Taki Taimani, and Popo Aumavae.

They’re working to do that this weekend, reportedly bringing former Michigan State defensive lineman Derrick Harmon to Eugene for a visit, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

In three seasons at Michigan State, Harmon has 71 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. He stands at 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, and has two years of eligibility remaining.

The Ducks have also been recruiting former Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolen, who is rated as the No. 1 player in the transfer portal. Nolen was on campus for a visit last week, and is expected to take a visit to Ole Miss this week.

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Report: Superb sophomore DL Walter Nolen to visit Ole Miss following trip to Eugene

The Walter Nolen transfer portal tour has begun and the Texas A&M superstar sophomore defensive lineman is traveling from coast to coast to weigh his options.

The Walter Nolen transfer portal tour has begun and the Texas A&M superstar sophomore defensive lineman is traveling from coast to coast to weigh his options.

According to Chad Simmons of On3 Sports, Nolen will be visiting another Southeastern Conference school this week at Ole Miss. The SEC visit comes days after Nolen took a trip to Eugene this past weekend to check out the Oregon Ducks program, the report stated.

Nolen has tallied 66 tackles (37 solos), five sacks and a forced fumble during two seasons at Texas A&M. This year, he increased his production with totals of 37 tackles and four sacks.

Nolen was among the highest-rated players in the Aggies’ 2022 recruiting class, which ranked No. 1 in the nation. Former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher racked up eight 5-star signees and 20 more 4-star recruits.

With the departure of Fisher and interim head coach Elijah Robinson, who is leaving the program after the season to become defensive coordinator at Syracuse, players like Nolen are using the portal to find the best fit.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Oregon Ducks Transfer Portal Wish List 1.0: Players we most want to see in Eugene

The transfer portal targets we most want to see end up with the Ducks.

It’s the holiday time, and people around the nation are starting to formulate wish lists for Christmas presents that they hope to get later in the month.

Here at Ducks Wire, we figured we would do a similar sort of thing, putting together a wish list of transfer portal players who we are hoping that the Oregon Ducks end up landing sometime over the next few weeks. While Dan Lanning and the Ducks head into the offseason and look to bolster their roster in a few certain areas, there are a handful of major targets that they have honed in on and are working to add to the roster. Several visits have been announced either for this weekend or next week, and things seem to be progressing well.

While our wish list is rather extensive, it’s important to note that we don’t expect the Ducks to get everything we ask for — that’s far too much. In reality, I think it’s fair to expect Oregon to land 4-6 portal additions. The players at the top of our list are the ones we want to prioritize first, obviously.

With that being said, here’s our first edition of the Transfer Portal wish list, focused mainly on guys who we’re hearing the team has been in contact with so far in the cycle. A 2.0 version will likely come out as time passes and players either enter or exit the transfer portal in the future.

Report: Former 5-star DL Walter Nolen to visit Oregon this weekend

The Ducks are reportedly bringing former Texas A&M DL Walter Nolen in on a visit this weekend, per Steve Wiltfong.

The Oregon Ducks hosted former Oklahoma Sooners QB Dillon Gabriel on a visit earlier in the week, and it looks like the high-profile visits will continue with 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfon reporting that former Texas A&M DL Walter Nolen is expected in Eugene over the weekend.

Nolen is rated as the No. 1 player in the 2024 transfer portal, standing at 6-foot-4, 325 pounds with some really solid production in his two years as an Aggie. Nolen has played in 22 games and totaled 66 tackles, 11 TFL, 5 sacks, and one forced fumble.

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As a recruit, Nolen was the No. 1 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class, and he was recruited heavily by Dan Lanning when the Oregon coach was the defensive coordinator at Georgia.

With Brandon Dorlus, Casey Rogers, Popo Aumavae, and Taki Taimani leaving Oregon this offseason, bringing Nolen in would be a huge addition to the DL room that could use a new addition or two. We will continue to watch over the next few days as this recruitment continues, but I am told that Oregon has been making a strong push for Nolen, and they are standing in a good spot when it comes to being a potential landing spot.

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Report: Texas spoke to Texas A&M transfer DT Walter Nolen

Texas has begun the recruiting process for Texas A&M transfer Walter Nolen.

The Longhorns are looking to add big time talents to their 2024 roster. According to Gerry Hamilton of Inside Texas, the team’s defensive line coach Bo Davis has been in contact with former Texas A&M defensive tackle Walter Nolen.

Texas knows the value of a dominant interior defensive line. The current squad fielded two All-American defensive tackles in T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy. That’s great news for the current squad, but the bad news is they will likely play for NFL squads this time next season.

Nolen carries the pedigree and presence that could fill what the team loses after 2023. The former five-star once ranked as the No. 2 overall player in 247Sports’ 2022 recruiting rankings. For all of Texas A&M’s struggles over the last three seasons, it hasn’t been for lack of quality defensive line play.

The Longhorns have the ability to make do without Nolen, but winning out for the massive player would be advantageous in the team’s first season in the SEC.