Ranking Florida Football, Bama and other contenders for Walter Nolen

No. 2 Florida

The Gators really impressed Nolen when he visited the Swamp and it’s clear that Nolen is among the top priorities for Florida football and its recruiting efforts in 2022.

You need to have elite defensive lineman to win big in the SEC and Nolen is a perfect fit for any scheme. The Gators have become a force on the trail under Dan Mullen and another feather in their cap is that they are recruiting Kody Jones, a cornerback committed to Michigan that’s close to Nolen.

Jones was recently offered by Florida football and is going to take a visit. The Gators can sell the tandem the chance to pair up in Gainesville, which only Michigan can offer right now among the top contenders.

No. 1 Alabama

No college football program has more built-in advantages on the recruiting trail right now than Nick Saban and Alabama football.

The Crimson Tide are yearly contenders for the national title and routinely put players into the NFL. As a defensive prospect, it’s hard to say any program is better at developing players than Bama.

Saban is also a master recruiter and if I had a crystal ball pick, it might go to Alabama, especially in light of Nolen’s plans to take a visit there in November according to 247 sports. He also spent three days three on an unofficial visit. Bama will also be just the third school to get an official visit when Nolen goes to Tuscaloosa for the LSU game.

That’s an interesting time. Nolen has talked about deciding this summer, so that could mean he would be taking a visit after a decision. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see him push his timeline back to get more looks at other top schools too.

All I can say is that this recruitment is a tough one to handicap and if I had to make a choice, I’d give Alabama the edge, especially with how hard Saban is working to make it happen.