Walter Nolen
| No. 97 – Arizona Cardinals | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 14, 2003 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 296 lb (134 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Powell (Powell, Tennessee) |
| College: | Texas A&M (2022–2023) Ole Miss (2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: 1st round, 16th pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Walter Nolen III (born October 14, 2003) is an American professional football defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and Ole Miss Rebels, earning consensus All-American honors with the latter in 2024. Nolen was selected by the Cardinals in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Early life
Nolen played high school football at three different 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. He also enrolled for a time at IMG Academy but did not play there.[1] His coach at Powell, Matt Lowe, described him as "a young man who has been blessed with size, speed and athleticism."[2]
In his senior year at Powell, he had 93 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 27 quarterback hurries, and 17 sacks.[3] He was rated by ESPN as the No. 1 football recruit in the 2022 recruiting class.[4] He was ranked No. 2 by Rivals.com and 247Sports, behind Travis Hunter.[3][5]
After his senior year, he was invited to play in the Under Armour All-America Game.[3] He was named USA Today High School Defensive Football Player of the Year and was rated as the country's top recruit of the 2022 class by the same publication.[6]
College career
Nolen received offers from numerous schools and narrowed his final five to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, and Tennessee.[1] In November 2021, Nolen committed to play college football for Texas A&M.[7] He later paid an official visit to Tennessee, raising speculation that his commitment was uncertain. He then signed his letter of intent with Texas A&M in December 2021.[8][9] He was part of a recruiting class at Texas A&M that was rated as the best in the history of recruiting rankings.[10]
On December 24, 2023, Nolen announced he would transfer to Ole Miss.[11] At the conclusion of the 2024 season, Nolen was named a consensus first team All-American.[12]
College statistics
| Season | GP | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | ||||
| Texas A&M Aggies | |||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 10 | 29 | 17 | 12 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 12 | 37 | 20 | 17 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Ole Miss Rebels | |||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 13 | 48 | 25 | 23 | 6.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Career | 35 | 114 | 62 | 52 | 11.5 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 20-yard shuttle | Bench press | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+3⁄4 in (1.92 m) |
296 lb (134 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.76 s | 27 reps | |||||||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[13][14] | ||||||||||||
Nolen was drafted in the first round with the 16th overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2025 NFL draft.[15]
References
- ^ a b Thompson, Khari (July 25, 2021). "Walter Nolen, nation's No. 1 defensive lineman, transfers from St. Benedict to Powell". Memphis Commercial Appeal. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ Clark, Douglas (November 4, 2021). "High School Sports Awards: Meet Tennessee's Walter Nolen III, dominant defender and current No. 1 football recruit in the country". USA Today. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Walter Nolen". Texas A&M University. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ "2022 ESPN 300". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Top Football Recruits". 247 Sports. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ "All winners, USA Today High School Sports Awards: Cade Klubnik, Kiki Rice among recipients". USA Today. July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ Garcia Jr., John (November 6, 2021). "No. 1 Defensive Recruit Walter Nolen Commits to Texas A&M Football". SI. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Emily Adams (December 15, 2021). "Walter Nolen, No. 2 recruit in the nation, signs with Texas A&M on National Signing Day". The Knoxville News.
- ^ Garcia Jr., John (December 15, 2021). "Top Defensive Recruit Walter Nolen Sticks with Texas A&M on Signing Day". SI.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Perroni, Brian (May 23, 2022). "Late Kick: Texas A&M DT Walter Nolen a freaky true freshman to watch this season". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ Nakos, Pete (December 24, 2023). "Texas A&M DL transfer Walter Nolen announces commitment". On3. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ "Walter Nolen Named Consensus All-American". Ole Miss Rebels Athletics. December 19, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Walter Nolen Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ "Walter Nolen College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ Urban, Darren (April 24, 2025). "Cardinals Select Walter Nolen III In First Round Of 2025 Draft". AZCardinals.com.