LSU Football: Tigers trying to bring nation’s top defensive recruit to Baton Rouge
By Zach Ragan
LSU football isn’t alone in their pursuit of 2022 five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen.
Nearly every major program in the nation is hoping to land a commitment from the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit.
Nolen, 6-foot-4/300 lbs from Cordova, TN (St Benedict at Auburndale), is ranked in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 1 defensive tackle in the country.
While Nolen is receiving attention from a litany of programs, there are only six programs that appear to be in the mix to land the talented defensive lineman.
LSU football has stiff competition for Walter Nolen
For now, it appears that Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio State are the top teams for Nolen.
But LSU isn’t far behind.
The dominant defensive tackle recently spoke to Rivals about his recruitment and he had plenty of positive things to say about the Tigers.
“I like them a lot,” said Nolen of LSU. “You can tell a school wants you when the head coach talks to you every day. I have the great opportunity to talk to Coach O and I know he wants me.”
Nolen is a player that could have a massive impact on a program’s defensive line. And he knows it.
“They (LSU) used to be ‘DLU’ and hopefully, they bring it back in a couple of years,” said Nolen. “Any school I’m at, ‘DLU’ is gonna be there for sure.”
247Sports recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks says Nolen is a “stoutly assembled defensive lineman with college-ready size”. Brooks also notes that Nolen “should become [an] impact high-major defensive lineman with [a] high-round NFL Draft ceiling”.
Nolen’s decision will likely come down to visits. He told Rivals that Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio State will likely receive official visits. I imagine LSU will be on that list, too.
The visits will be key. Everything changes once a recruit gets on campus, feels the vibe, and meets potential teammates.
Next. Another bad Joe Burrow take. dark
LSU might not be the leader right now, but this recruiting battle is far from over.