Texas A&M Football: Implications of commitment from top 2022 5-star

The Texas A&M football team just secured its biggest commitment since… well, so long that I had to check the history books. The only commit to Texas A&M that has been higher-ranked than the commitment today was Myles Garrett in the 2014 class.

We all saw how that went.

But this one feels different. It’s not a hometown kid who dreamed of coming to the school his whole life — it’s a kid who played high school football two states away. That kid is Walter Nolen, the second-highest-rated prospect in the 2022 class.

The Texas A&M football team’s most recent commit is a generational talent

I could sit here and be modest, but the truth is simple — Walter Nolen is one of the best prospects at the high school level in a long time. Sure, he’s second in his class, but as an interior defensive lineman, it can be difficult to move up in the ranks.

I’ll get into what makes him such a great talent, but the biggest part of it can’t be quantified. He simply has that “it” factor that you look for in any college football player.

Here’s an excerpt on what type of player Walter Nolen is via Gabe Brooks of 247Sports.

"Good height and barrel-chested build with massive overall size. Wears significant weight quite well and arrives on campus immediately capable of competing at the high-major level from a physical standpoint. Not only broad and filled out, but owns good length as well. Powerful build manifests in point-of-attack disruption. Flashes consistent suddenness at the snap with playmaking speed-to-power athleticism. Punchy and violent with his hands. Closes fast in pursuit. Shows outstanding lateral range relative to size. Motor runs hot."

Nolen is a 6’4″, 325-pound defensive lineman out of Powell High School in Tennessee. The Aggies beat out Georgia and Tennessee for the commitment.

What does this commitment mean for the Texas A&M football team?

On paper, Texas A&M’s 2022 class had slowed down quite a bit leading up to this commitment. Jimbo Fisher’s class had fallen out of the top-25 and hadn’t had a notable commitment in quite some time.

That changed in a hurry.

This commitment vaulted the Aggies back into the top ten with their second five-star recruit of the cycle. Texas A&M now ranks eighth in 247Sports Composite Rankings.

This commitment makes it clear that Jimbo Fisher’s Texas Aggies are a primary landing spot for the best talent in the country — not just Texas. This could give A&M a huge boost in terms out out-of-state recruiting, while Fisher will have more time freed up to focus on his team and other recruiting.

The Aggies got a good one on Saturday.