Michigan Makes The Cut For Top Prospect

The top defensive player in the 2022 class cut his list down to five programs.

The Michigan Football program received some good news on Friday as five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen listed Michigan among the top five programs that he's considering.

Honored to say that this will be my TOP 5 as of now pic.twitter.com/rHeDAX84Fh

— Walter Nolen9️⃣🏈🏈 (@WalterNolen4) July 9, 2021

Nolen, one of the top prospect in the entire country, recently visited Michigan for an official and the staff knocked it out of the park. Nolen has extended family in the area, which is a big draw for the standout and his immediate family.  

Nolen's size, strength and quickness are the main reasons he is such a highly touted recruit. His ability to get pressure up the middle and also occupy two to three offensive linemen at the high school level have put him in the elite category and make him seem like an immediate contributor at the college level regardless of where he goes. 

At 6-5, 300 pounds, Nolen's size plays a huge factor in his success, but his burst, flexibility and length are what separate him from the rest. The short-space quickness he has rivals some of the more effective players in the NFL and how he's able to contort his body at his size is simply rare. He routinely gets on linemen before they know what hit them and then uses his size and raw strength to gain an advantage. Throwing two and even three guys at him in high school often isn't enough.

Michigan has a chance to make some big splashes in the month of July and beyond. With five-star cornerback Will Johnson already in the fold, adding a guy like Nolen and some of the other large and talented defensive linemen could put U-M in the top ten nationally when the 2022 cycle is wrapped up.