“Anything can still happen,” Walter Nolen. Sr. said to On3 Sunday afternoon about his son’s decision. “I would say he is pretty strong to Texas A&M, but he is a kid.
“We see different recruits in football and basketball commit and decommit all the time. It happens. One day he loves one school, then he changes his mind.
“I know he likes Texas A&M a lot, but he really wanted to visit Tennessee again this weekend to double-check things. He wanted to make sure of his decision.
“He still has to make sure of things before he signs.”
Tennessee coaches delivered the same message to Walter Nolen
The Nolen family lives less than 30 minutes from the Tennessee campus, so he is very familiar with Rocky Top. He has visited for multiple games, multiple unofficial visits, and now an official visit.
“We have been over to Tennessee so many times that there was nothing new for us to see,” Mr. Nolen said. “We are very familiar with the campus, we know a lot about the school, and this visit was really to get more time with the coaching staff.
“It was about personal time. It was to get more familiar with them personally. That is all this visit was about.”
The staff seemed to do a great job too.
“They just made a big reminder to Walter that he is the No. 1 priority for them. They made sure he knew nothing had changed.
“The coaches continued to tell him he is wanted there, that he is needed there, and that he needs to stay home and represent his home-state school.
“I think Walter really feels wanted there. The coaches have made it known to all of us how important he is.”
The coaches have built a strong bond with Nolen, and he likes that, the closeness to home, and the opportunity to make an instant impact in Knoxville.
Texas A&M is working to hang on to Walter Nolen
The Aggies are in constant communication with Nolen. Elijah Robinson is leading the way, but plenty of others are involved. Robinson and Jimbo Fisher are expected to do an in-home visit later this week.
Since Nolen’s first visit to College State late in July, Texas A&M has been high on his list. It is the top school with the early signing period just nine days away.
“I know Walter likes Texas A&M a lot,” Mr. Nolen said. “That game against Alabama made a big impact on him. He already liked the coaches and the school, but when he saw the team that was down five or six starters beat Alabama, that really impressed him.
“That played a role in his commitment. That, how they have recruited him, and him seeing a great opportunity there is what I think the difference was for them.”
