Walter Nolen

Walter Nolen played high school at three different high schools: Olive Branch High School in Olive Branch, Mississippi, as a freshman and sophomore; Saint Benedict at Auburndale in Memphis as a junior; and Powell High School in Powell, Tennessee, as a senior. In his senior year at Powell, he had 93 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 27 quarterback hurries, and 17 sacks. He was rated by ESPN as the No. 1 football recruit in the 2022 recruiting class and was ranked No. 2 by Rivals.com and 247Sports, behind Colorado's Travis Hunter. After his senior year, Nolen was invited to play in the Under Armour All-America Game and in July 2022, he was named Defensive Football Player of the Year by USA Today. Nolen received offers from numerous schools and narrowed his final five to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, and Tennessee. He committed to Texas A&M and was part of a recruiting class that was rated as the best in the history of recruiting rankings. As a true freshman in 2022, he collected 29 tackles and one sack. Nolen got on the field more often as a sophomore, starting 12 games and picking up 37 tackles and four sacks. After the season, Nolen entered the transfer portal and committed to Ole Miss for the 2024 season.