Detailing how rare players like Walter Nolen are in transfer portal

Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolen has long been touted as one of the best players in the nation at his position. He even earned a lofty Five-Star+ ranking from Charles Power and the recruiting and scouting team at On3. Not only that, but Nolen was also ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 cycle.

So how exactly does such a rare talent end up in the transfer portal? On Thursday night, On3’s Director of Scouting and Rankings, Charles Power, sat down with Andy Staples to chat about how rare it is to have a talent like Nolen in the portal.

Walter Nolen is a remarkably rare prospect in the transfer portal

“Yeah, I think it’s pretty rare. And I think it usually takes a circumstance like a coaching change for this to happen. And I think, when you look at Walter Nolen, this is a guy who was a top five prospect coming out of high school. Five-star+ prospect,” Power began.

“He is a big defensive lineman who can line up inside. And he played defensive end. Can rush the passer. And I thought he made a really good progression from his true freshman year to this year. And he’s a guy, like you said Andy, you could plug him in on a playoff team and he could be the keystone foundation piece for a playoff defensive line,” Power explained on Thursday.

The talented prospect spent two seasons in College Station, appearing in 22 games for the Aggies. He recorded 66 tackles, 11.0 tackles for a loss, 5.0 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass defended.

“And I think when you look at the portal, I think scarcity plays a big role in assessing these guys value, because there’s just not many Walter Nolen’s in the portal,” Power said. “There’s not many edge rushers in the portal. And everybody wants offensive tackle. So, it’s very interesting in that regard. Whereas at quarterback, the most valuable position, there’s a bunch of quarterbacks. So, it’s very interesting to kind of weigh the levels of scarcity at each position.”

He will instantly give whatever team picks up him a starting caliber player on the interior, listed at 6’4 and 290 pounds. On Wednesday’s show, Andy Staples broke down the possible fits for Nolen in the transfer portal.

Nolen was a former five-star prospect and the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation in the 2022 recruiting class. He was the top-ranked defensive lineman and the top player in the state of Tennessee, hailing from Powell (TN) Powell.

On3 Staff Reports also contributed to this article.