Walter Nolen, No. 2 recruit in the nation, will not sign during early National Signing Day period

Walter Nolen, the No. 2 football prospect in the county, will not sign during the early signing period despite committing to Texas A&M on Nov. 6.

Nolen's father, Walter Nolen Sr., confirmed to Knox News that the five-star defensive lineman will not sign until the regular period, but said he does not know why his son made that decision.

Nolen helped lead Powell to its first state championship in school history Dec. 4. He recorded six solo tackles and two sacks in the championship game and finished with 93 tackles, 28 for a loss and 17 sacks for the season.

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The early signing period begins Dec. 15 and ends Dec. 17. Nolen's decision not to sign his Letter of Intent this week comes after he took an official visit to Tennessee on Dec. 5. Tennessee was one of Nolen's top three schools alongside A&M and Georgia.

Nolen said after the visit that he has not changed his mind, but did not rule out the possibility of switching his commitment.

"I just wanted to check all of my bases and see what they were about," said Nolen on Dec. 7 after the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football luncheon at Nissan Stadium. "It was a great visit and I got to talk with the coaches some more, so I have no complaints."

After Knox News's story published, Nolen's father tweeted, "Let's go get this natty!!!!! #GIGEM4LIFE," a reference to the Aggies' slogan. Nolen retweeted the post with a thumbs up and the same hashtag.

Contact Emily Adams at eaadams@gannett.com or on Twitter @eaadams6.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Walter Nolen won't sign with Texas A&M football: National Signing Day