'22 TN DT Walter Nolen (Ole Miss)

#3,759
#3,759
iu
 
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#3,761
#3,761
Look, overrated or not, he's definitely got some good skills and is above average in the DT market... definitely a power 5 talent. So he comes in and needs work, so what... he develops frosh year and rages for the next 2-3... chill ya'll..
 
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#3,765
#3,765
Berry4Heisman14 said:
He’s got a lot of potential. Wether he meets that potential or exceeds it is up to him and whoever his coaches end up being
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If our DL coach transforms Simmons into a fan favorite and he prioritizes this kid I am all in regardless of self proclaimed talent analysts views.
 
#3,766
#3,766
As for Nolen, time will tell how well our D folks have done to convince Walt UT needs him to achieve the goal !
 
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#3,767
#3,767
mrorange211 said:
I know. Covid makes you do crazy things like tell the truth about how you saw a kid perform in a football game.
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I’m no expert at evaluating athletes nor did I watch the game he played in. That being said there is a correct way to go about giving an opinion good or bad. I feel like Sam and yourself may have gone about in a way that felt like it was borderline attacking the kid more so than just saying he didn’t meet your expectations for a kid ranked that high.
With all due respect.
 
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#3,768
#3,768
Honestly, what I've seen and heard about Nolen isn't that much different than other high end recruits I've actually coached and been around. I've had 4 kids get offers from Saban and Bama since the 2017 class: 3 committed to Bama and 1 ended up at Michigan. All were major recruits and top 100 kids. Honestly, only 1 of those 4 kids I would consider a hard worker and he wasn't the highest ranked kid of that bunch. 1 of the kids was a decent worker and 2 I would call downright lazy. The best kid of the group is in the lazy tier yet he was still a top 50 player in the country. But hey, he showed up on Friday nights and was the best player on the field every night, so how do you tell that kid what he is doing is wrong? If you are coaching to win then you put your best players out there. Yes you try and mold him and teach him a stronger work ethic, but him getting it or not doesn't matter at the HS level in terms of on field success. So how do you bench that kid when you're rolling all the way to another state title and he is easily dominating? Because you don't think he works as hard as some other kid? That is a slippery slope.

The reality for the top 150ish recruits is that they are so gifted physically and genetically that their 50% is superior to almost everyone else's 100% at the HS level. They have achieved a level of success that most kids will never achieve and they don't have to work that hard to get there. Are they coasting because they know they are good enough to get what they want? Or do they have a work ethic problem that will plague them at the next level? Unfortunately that is very hard to predict.

I think its fair to point out Nolen's conditioning and I also think it is fair to ponder if it is a work ethic issue. However, in my own personal dealings, I think those questions are far more common with these elite guys than most people realize. I honestly have more concerns about the 4 high schools in 4 years than I do about the conditioning.
 
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#3,769
#3,769
Vols8086 said:
Honestly, what I've seen and heard about Nolen isn't that much different than other high end recruits I've actually coached and been around. I've had 4 kids get offers from Saban and Bama since the 2017 class: 3 committed to Bama and 1 ended up at Michigan. All were major recruits and top 100 kids. Honestly, only 1 of those 4 kids I would consider a hard worker and he wasn't the highest ranked kid of that bunch. 1 of the kids was a decent worker and 2 I would call downright lazy. The best kid of the group is in the lazy tier yet he was still a top 50 player in the country. But hey, he showed up on Friday nights and was the best player on the field every night, so how do you tell that kid what he is doing is wrong? If you are coaching to win then you put your best players out there. Yes you try and mold him and teach him a stronger work ethic, but him getting it or not doesn't matter at the HS level in terms of on field success. So how do you bench that kid when you're rolling all the way to another state title and he is easily dominating? Because you don't think he works as hard as some other kid? That is a slippery slope.

The reality for the top 150ish recruits is that they are so gifted physically and genetically that their 50% is superior to almost everyone else's 100% at the HS level. They have achieved a level of success that most kids will never achieve and they don't have to work that hard to get there. Are they coasting because they know they are good enough to get what they want? Or do they have a work ethic problem that will plague them at the next level? Unfortunately that is very hard to predict.

I think its fair to point out Nolen's conditioning and I also think it is fair to ponder if it is a work ethic issue. However, in my own personal dealings, I think those questions are far more common with these elite guys than most people realize. I honestly have more concerns about the 4 high schools in 4 years than I do about the conditioning.
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I don't have the personal insight that you obviously have so I really appreciate this post. Makes a lot of sense.
 
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