Tennessee's collectives will likely have to come through with some big NIL money to land key transfer
The moment that Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher it seemed like folks started wondering how many of the Aggies' talented players would hit the transfer portal. And Tennessee Vols fans had one player, specifically, in mind. Defensive lineman Walter Nolen. Nolen, a former five-star recruit from Memphis who finished his high school career at Powell […]
The moment that Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher it seemed like folks started wondering how many of the Aggies' talented players would hit the transfer portal.
And Tennessee Vols fans had one player, specifically, in mind.
Defensive lineman Walter Nolen.
Nolen, a former five-star recruit from Memphis who finished his high school career at Powell High School in the Knoxville area, will be one of the most coveted transfer players available if he chooses to enter the portal.
Tennessee recruited Nolen hard during the recruiting process — even after Nolen committed to Texas A&M. The talented defensive lineman continued to consider the Vols after his commitment to the Aggies, but he ultimately decided to stick with Texas A&M.
When Nolen signed with the Aggies, there were plenty of rumors that NIL money played a big factor, which isn't far fetched considering the rumblings about the Aggies spending a significant amount of cash on recruits. Nolen denied those claims, even telling WBIR in 2021 that if he was looking for NIL money he would've signed with Tennessee.
Regardless of what happened in 2021, it seems likely that Tennessee's collectives would need to pony up some serious cash to land Nolen as a transfer this offseason (if he hits the portal).
247Sports' Smoke Dixon, who was previously the General Manager of Recruiting at Maryland, noted that players at Texas A&M are being paid well.
"A lot of these A&M kids who want to stay are getting paid well enough to stay," said Dixon this week. "I don't know if a lot of movement is going to happen."
Fans might not like the idea of paying players to transfer, but that's the world of college football these days. And programs can either buy into it (no pun intended) or they can get left behind.
Nolen is a difference maker in the trenches. And if the Vols are serious about competing for a national championship in 2024, he's exactly the type of player they need to bring in — regardless how much it'll cost.
The national narrative about the Tennessee Vols is getting out of hand
It’s completely absurd
