Ohio State makes trimmed list for 2022 five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen

The No. 1 defensive tackle in the nation for 2022 has cut his list to eight and Ohio State is still in the mix.

One of the top prizes in the 2022 recruiting class is a five-star defensive tackle out of Cordova, Tennessee. His name is Walter Nolen and he is the No. 2 rated overall player according to 247 Sports composite rankings. Of course, you might recognize the No. 1 player on that list in Ohio State commit Quinn Ewers.

Recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks says Nolen already has college-ready size, but room to add more bulk if needed. At 6-feet, 4-inches, and 300-pounds, Brooks predicts that Nolen has a high NFL draft ceiling.

Nolen recently cut the list of schools seeking his services down to eight with Ohio State still firmly in the mix. The remaining seven schools in competition with the Buckeyes include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, and USC.

It would be another huge catch if Larry Johnson and Ohio State can land the No. 1 defensive lineman in the land. We’ll keep you posted as Nolen’s list continues to dwindle.

Ohio State football 2022 recruiting commitment tracker

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Florida football makes the cut for this five-star defensive tackle recruit

The Florida Gators football program made the cut for this five-star defensive tackle in the 2022 recruiting class bolstering its d-line.

Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators football program received some good news in the form of a five-star defensive tackle in the 2022 recruiting class on Friday.

Five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen made an update to his recruitment, cutting his list of 25 offers down to his Top eight. Those eight schools that made the list including UF are Oregon, Ohio State, LSU, Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, and Southern California.

Nolen is ranked as the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, the No. 1 defensive tackle and the No. 1 player in the state of Tennessee per the 247Sports recruiting rankings. He’s a big time recruit that could be a program-changer on defense.

While the Gators made the top eight for Nolen, there’s also more good news as the recruit has officially scheduled a visit to Gainesville for the weekend of June 4-6. He dished on his recruitment and revealed why he included Florida in his top eight via All Gators:

“When I was at IMG, I feel like that helped better our relationship and me being able to talk to them and them just being 2-3 hours away. It was just a good chance, so being a college town, they are one of the biggest college towns you can think of, so that helps them.

Eventually, when you get to college, you have to think about, you are going to share reps with the best because everybody is there for a reason, and you have to take that into consideration and get every opportunity you can. I feel like with Florida’s offense getting off the field a lot it gives a chance for their defensive linemen to get more reps.”

The good news is that he is familiar with Florida and had positives to say about the program above. However, the Gators are facing TOUGH competition with Alabama, Georgia, and LSU involved.

Let’s hope the Gators can impress him enough on his visit weekend.

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Michigan makes Top 8 for No. 2 overall player in 2022

Michigan football made the cut for one of the top players in the country, along with Alabam, LSU, Georgia, Ohio State and others.

 

Well, now we know the recent visit was successful.

Michigan football got the first visit for 2022 Cordova (TN) St. Benedict of Auburndale five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen, currently rated as the No. 2 prospect, regardless of position, by the 247Sports Composite. Nolen made his way to Ann Arbor and Detroit last weekend, in what could be a pivotal visit given his offer sheet, a veritable who’s who of top programs across college football.

While there’s still a lot of heavy lifting to be done for Jim Harbaugh & co., the first step appears to have been a successful one. Nolen released his top eight schools on Friday and the Wolverines were among them.

Of course, however, so is LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Ohio State and USC. There’s still a long way to go to secure the rights for the enigmatic defensive tackle, but it’s a solid first step in the right direction.

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Ohio State makes cut for 2022 five-star defensive tackle

Ohio State looks to add to an already impressive 2022 recruiting class. The class’s top defensive tackle has the Buckeyes in his top 10.

We already know that Ohio State is off to a fast start in the 2022 recruiting cycle. After signing the No. 2 class in 2021 and the potential to still add J.T. Tuimoloau later in the spring, the Buckeyes just made the cut for another big-time name in the coming class.

Walter Nolen is listed as the No. 1 defensive tackle in the 2022 class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings and the No. 2 player overall. Nolen recently cut his list down to ten programs for consideration.

Included with Ohio State in his top ten are his home state Tennessee Volunteers, along with LSU, Alabama, Oregon, USC, Auburn, Florida, Clemson, and arch-rival Michigan.

Ohio State is still sitting pretty in the race for Tuimoloau. Adding the No. 1 defensive tackle in the country would be another home run for Ryan Day and a recruiting class that is shaping up to be one of the greatest in college football history.

Ohio State football 2022 recruiting commitment tracker

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Five-star 2022 DT Walter Nolen announces top 10 schools

Five-star 2022 defensive tackle Walter Nolen announced his top 10 schools Friday.

Five-star Cordova (Tenn.) St. Benedict at Auburndale defensive tackle Walter Nolen, the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2022 according to the 247Sports Composite, has announced his top 10 schools.

Nolen listed Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee and USC as the favorites in his recruitment. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle also noted that he is still “fully open” to other schools entering the mix.

“I was shocked by a couple of them (making the Top 10),” Walter Nolen Sr. said of his son’s top 20, per 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong. “Some of them I knew for a fact I was going to be on there. I knew LSU was going to be on there, I knew Bama was going to be on there. I kind of knew Florida was going to be on there and kind of knew Michigan was going to be on there. I kind of knew Oregon was going to be on there. And I knew Ohio State.”

Nolen has recorded 25 offers so far throughout his recruitment. In addition to being the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2022, he is also the No. 1 defensive tackle in his class and No. 1 prospect in his home state of Tennessee.

Nolen’s scouting report reads:

Thick, stocky interior defender with good arm length and a powerful frame. Sudden get-off and outstanding first-step quickness. Good lateral quickness at the snap. Jarring punch and knock-back ability. Delivers a blow when being blocked. Outstanding hand quickness and activity. Arrives with heavy pads as a tackler. Good closing speed in the backfield. Can bend and redirect. Doesn’t stay blocked. One of the most disruptive defenders in the 2022 cycle. Plays with effort and alpha mentality. Shorter than the what is typical for elite interior linemen. May not be as scheme versatile as other bigger linemen. Will be an impact Power Five starter and is poised to develop into an early round NFL Draft pick.

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