Nation’s Top Defensive Prospect to Transfer to Powell High School
2022 defensive lineman Walter Nolen, the nation’s undoubted top defensive prospect, is enrolled at and set to transfer to Powell High School, as first reported by Mark Packer.
Nolen has been a pending transfer for a couple of weeks, as the Knox County school district has to approve all incoming transfers, according to multiple sources.
Nolen last played at St. Benedict’s at Auburndale, a private school in Memphis, where he was coached by former Tennessee Vol Marlon Walls.
The move comes as Nolen’s family moves into the area for work. Nolen also had the option to return to IMG Academy for his senior season. The move to Powell became clear after Nolen did not report to IMG last week.
Tennessee has re-emerged in the recruitment of the elite in the last month, as he visited Knoxville unofficially twice during the month of June.
"I am probably going to say Coach G and the recruiting staff," Walter Nolen Sr. told Sports Illustrated about the reasoning behind Tennessee's rise. "When they came in, from day one when they got there, they were like we have to have Walter. He is a top priority for us. Just looking at Coach G's body of work— 30 plus years—multiple kids go on to the NFL. He is really good at what he does, so that was a big plus for them."
A decision could be made in the coming weeks, so the move only helps Tennessee’s chances to stay in this recruitment, which will likely go all the way to signing day.
"Knowing him, it is possible," Nolen Sr. said about a decision timeline. "He had originally said December, but I was like, 'Nah.' It will be done before then. It is quite possible."