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Fact or Fiction: Walter Nolen's visit helped Texas A&M in a big way

Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and social media lead Woody Wommack along with Michael Langston from Warchant.com and Mark Passwaters of AggieYell.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.


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1. Texas A&M made a huge move up in Walter Nolen's recruitment after his weekend visit.

Walter Nolen
Walter Nolen (Rivals.com)

Gorney’s take: FACT. When it comes to the weekend at Texas A&M, I was told it basically could not have gone better from the game-day environment, to experiencing that win over Alabama, to seeing the defensive linemen compete for the Aggies. So, yes, they definitely made a significant move. A blowout Alabama win would have hurt. A boring, sluggish loss would have hurt. But the drama at Texas A&M was second-to-none for Walter Nolen and now the Aggies are absolutely right there with Tennessee and Georgia at the top. Nolen’s recruitment has taken some twists and turns but that night in College Station is a memorable one and could be the key to landing Nolen later on.

Passwater’s take: FACT. How could it not? He was there for a win over the No. 1 team in the country, in dramatic fashion, in front of 106,000 people. He was there with a bunch of other elite recruits, including Aggie commits who were working on him the whole time. His family was there, and they got a sense of not only Kyle Field, but A&M as a whole. The A&M defensive line had a strong showing Saturday night and it's a certainty the A&M coaching staff made sure he knew it. The Aggies were a definite option for Nolen before this, but after this weekend they may have shaken up his list of leaders.

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2. Florida State should be concerned Sam McCall is hearing much more from SEC schools.

Sam McCall
Sam McCall (Chad Simmons / Rivals.com)

Gorney’s take: FACT. By no means am I saying that Florida State’s outstanding recruiting class is falling apart but this is definitely a development to watch. Alabama is making a move to get more involved with the high four-star safety, Florida is not giving up even after he decommitted from the Gators and picked the Seminoles. Other SEC schools are in the hunt as well. If Florida State can build upon its win over North Carolina then Sam McCall will probably stay. But if things go south then I wouldn’t be shocked to see him pick a more sure thing.

Langston’s take: FICTION. For now. Sure, schools are still pushing for McCall and that's always a concern for a lot of commits for this season. Key for Florida State has always been the growth on the field. For the first time we saw that. McCall was also impressed with the win. Still, FSU needs to keep building off that big win on the road against North Carolina to avoid McCall opening up the door. That win last week was a big deal to show commits growth and that needs to continue.

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3. There are three better receivers than Tetairoa McMillan in the 2022 class.

Tetairoa McMillan
Tetairoa McMillan (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Gorney’s take: FICTION. After the high school football season, there are going to be many changes when it comes to the rankings and this is one I’m going to push for: Tetairoa McMillan needs to be higher. I still love Luther Burden as the No. 1 receiver in the class and I was really impressed by him against Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco earlier this season but after that T-Mac belongs in the conversation. He has tremendous length, he’s the best pass catcher in the class and although he’s wiry, McMillan is surprisingly physical and tough on the field. He probably loses a foot race to Evan Stewart but in terms of overall skills and performance, McMillan has to be higher.

Wommack’s take: FICTION. I was really blown away with how easy McMillian made it look to get open when I saw him over the summer at The Opening. He looks like he still has room to add bulk to his frame but you can't teach his natural fluidity and route running ability as well as his knack for making big plays. Also an accomplished volleyball player, McMillan's skills clearly translate as he's able to go up and make big plays over and over. I think both Burden and Stewart have solidified their positions as five-stars, but after that there's not anybody I would take over McMillan at this point.

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