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One of the Michigan Wolverines’ main remaining goals in 2022 is now off the board as five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen knocked them out of consideration on Tuesday night. Its last three schools are the Tennessee Volunteers, Texas A&M Aggies and Georgia Bulldogs.
Florida, Michigan and Alabama were the teams excluded from its recruitment with Tuesday’s announcement, which was first reported by On3 Sports.
This is not a major surprise from Michigan’s point of view. Nolen visited Ann Arbor over the summer after the dead period was lifted, but his recruiting had gone the other way. Florida being left out of the mix is probably the biggest surprise here.
Nolen, originally from Tennessee, is a five-star rookie and the 2022 best overall prospect in the class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Since Michigan needed help on the defensive line, it would have been a massive coup. Alas, he’s headed to one of the three SEC schools.
Gabe Brooks of 247Sports spotted it and said this:
Solidly assembled defensive lineman with a college-ready size. Has the required height and has a verified length to encourage the addition of more bulk if desired. A powerful build manifests as a disturbance at the point of attack. Flashes with constant suddenness on click and quickly closes in pursuit. Shows exceptional lateral range in relation to the waist. Punch and physical. The engine is heating up. Strong enough to play through the blocks. Can also run games down from the back. Posted outstanding verified test numbers. Violent hands will become even more dangerous as the set of pass-rush moves expands. Could thrive indoors in a four-man front, but appears to have versatility in position and pattern. Among the nation’s top defensive prospects in the 2022 class. Expected to become a major defensive lineman with an NFL draft cap.
The Wolverines currently have 15 prospects signed in the 2022 class, though none of them are defensive tackles. Four-star Deone Grant of Cass Tech (MI) looks like a good bet to eventually join eight Crystal Ball picks in Michigan’s favor. We’ll have to wait and see where they go from there.
The class ranks 15th in the country and third in the Big Ten behind Penn State and Ohio State.
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