5-star 2022 DL Walter Nolen commits to Texas A&M, but one big offseason move could flip him to Tennessee
The Tennessee Vols received some tough news on Saturday afternoon before their matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats. 2022 five-star defensive lineman Walter Nolen, 6-foot-4/325 lbs from Powell, TN, announced his commitment to Texas A&M. Nolen is ranked in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 1 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 2 overall […]
The Tennessee Vols received some tough news on Saturday afternoon before their matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats.
2022 five-star defensive lineman Walter Nolen, 6-foot-4/325 lbs from Powell, TN, announced his commitment to Texas A&M.
Nolen is ranked in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 1 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 2 overall player in the 2022 recruiting class.
This is obviously terrible news for the Vols — especially since Nolen plays high school football just 15 minutes from Neyland Stadium.
But this recruiting battle isn't over yet. Nolen is visiting Texas A&M this weekend, so it's not a total shock that a commitment was made. Anytime a player commits while on campus, it's more likely that a decommitment is possible (emotion is often the driving factor in a commitment while on campus, instead of logic).
The good news for Tennessee is that Nolen is scheduled to visit Tennessee next weekend.
That's not the big decision, however, that could cause Nolen to flip from Texas A&M to Tennessee.
Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher appears to be the top target to replace Ed Orgeron at LSU. Tigers athletic director Scott Woodward hired Fisher at Texas A&M, so there's an established relationship in place.
Fisher, who was an assistant coach at LSU from 2000-2006, has a better shot at winning a national championship at LSU than he does at Texas A&M (Ed Orgeron and Les Miles, two average coaches at best, managed to win championships in Baton Rouge).
If Fisher leaves College Station for LSU, it's highly likely that Nolen would decommit from the Aggies.
And if that happens, then Tennessee would be the obvious choice for the talented defensive lineman.
There's at least a little over a month to go in this battle. Vol fans shouldn't give up on Nolen just yet.
Featured image via Rivals.com
