Walter Nolen impermissible visit to Jeremy Pruitt's Tennessee cost nearly $3,000, records show

Walter Nolen, a former five-star football prospect who is entering his sophomore season at Texas A&M, benefited from an impermissible visit worth nearly $3,000 to the University of Tennessee in October 2020, part of a far-reaching cheating scandal under fired Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt.

Records show Pruitt's Tennessee football staff shelled out the cash while hosting Nolen, his family and his Memphis-area high school coach during a four-day span during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period, disregarding the ban and shrugging off NCAA rules by paying for the unofficial visit. Nolen's was the longest illicit visit and featured the most money spent on a specific prospect and his travel party in a single visit during the scandal. It was organized by at least four staff members fired for cause in January 2021.

The in-person visit was outlined Friday when the NCAA announced its verdict after a yearslong probe into Pruitt's program. The impermissible visit and benefits were among the more than 200 violations committed by Pruitt and his staff that resulted in a five-year probation for UT and at least $8 million in fines, as well as restrictions on scholarships and recruiting.

Nolen, who transferred from St. Benedict near Memphis to Powell High School in Knoxville in 2021, was ranked as the No. 2 recruit in the nation in the 2022 class. He is not mentioned by name in NCAA and university investigative documents obtained by Knox News via a public records request, but he is included.

Knox News uncovered Nolen's identity by cross-referencing the connections and reviewing the details of his recruitment in the documents and through a source with direct knowledge of his impermissible visit to Tennessee. The source spoke to Knox News about the recruitment on condition of anonymity.

Texas A&M did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Nolen's father declined comment Thursday regarding the violations when reached by Knox News. Nolen's father, also named Walter, provided a brief statement to the Bryan College Station Eagle on Wednesday but has not refuted any specific details in the report.

“Short and simple... It never happened... GO AGGIES!!!!!” he told the Eagle.

How Jeremy Pruitt's Tennessee staff spent nearly $3,000 to woo Walter Nolen

Brian Niedermeyer, the former Vols inside linebackers coach who was fired for cause in the scandal, withdrew $4,000 in five transactions from Oct. 6-8, 2020, university records show.

Niedermeyer pinned the withdrawals on his former girlfriend, which he also consistently did in his response to the NCAA's notice of allegations in November 2022. He said during UT's investigation that the money was to pay for her shopping and winery visits during UT's upcoming game at Georgia.

NCAA documents suggest this money was used to pay for Nolen's visit, which totaled $2,677. UT staffers also supplied $260 to players to host Nolen. One of those players, identified as a former football student-athlete, said he spent the $200 he was given on marijuana and cigars for himself and others. It is unclear how the remaining money from Niedermeyer's ATM withdrawals were spent.

Nolen and his travel party arrived in Knoxville from Memphis on Oct. 8 to approximately $250 of Tennessee apparel waiting in bags at the front desk of the downtown Crowne Plaza, university and NCAA documents show. Two weeks prior to Nolen's arrival, recruiting director Bethany Gunn reserved two rooms for the three-night stay, and a recruiting assistant paid approximately $717 was paid in cash for the rooms.

Gunn paid $70 for Nolen and his party to go bowling at Maple Hall on Oct. 8. They ate at Chivo Taqueria, where the recruiting assistant paid $150 for dinner.

On Oct. 9, the Nolens visited Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg. UT staff paid $270 for tickets. UT also paid $270 for breakfast at Ruby Sunshine and dinner at Dead End BBQ. Assistant director of player personnel J.T. Hill paid for the dinner at Gunn's instruction.

UT football staffers paid $361 for meals at Cafe 4 and Fieldhouse Social on Oct. 10. They paid $238 for a night of entertainment at Main Event, an arcade and games center. Tennessee lost 44-21 at Georgia that afternoon.

The Nolens finished the weekend with a Sunday brunch at Scrambled Jake's on Oct. 11. Gunn paid $218 in cash for the meal.

UT paid for approximately $999 in free meals and provided $578 for entertainment during the four-day visit. It also spent $133 on "transportation and entertainment" involving Nolen, a family member, and one of the unnamed football players, NCAA documents show.

Stashing funds and losing Walter Nolen to Texas A&M

Gunn was down to $387 as Nolen's visit wound down. She texted multiple staff members, asking whether there was a reservoir of cash available, according to UT records.

"Did Niedermeyer ever mention an extra funds stash," Gunn texted Hill, who did not reply.

Nolen's visit was consistent with the type of illicit visits Tennessee hosted on the nine weekends it hosted prospects during the pandemic dead period.

Nolen's stay was orchestrated by at least four staff members, involved the three unnamed players, and at least three coaches had knowledge of the visit, according to documents. Niedermeyer, defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley and wide receivers coach Tee Martin knew of the visit. Niedermeyer was charged by the NCAA with paying for the trip. Documents show Gunn kept handwritten notes of the visit that were recovered during the investigation.

Gunn and assistant director of recruiting Chantryce Boone handled much of the cash to pay for the Nolens' meals, entertainment and lodging. Hill and Magness handled some payments.

Gunn, Boone, and Hill were among 10 staff members fired for cause in January 2021 for their roles in the rule-breaking. Ansley and Martin left for NFL jobs. Pruitt (six), Niedermeyer (five), Gunn (five), Boone (10), Ansley (two) and recruiting assistant Michael Magness (three) received show-cause orders. A show-cause penalty means a university cannot hire a coach or recruiter without being subjected to penalties during the length of the ban unless given NCAA approval.

EXCLUSIVE: 12 text messages in Tennessee NCAA recruiting scandal that buried Jeremy Pruitt, staff

Niedermeyer denied paying for the visit or knowing about it, documents show. Martin, who was not punished by the NCAA, said Niedermeyer told him about the visit, but Martin denied knowledge of the impermissible benefits. Ansley said either Niedermeyer or Pruitt informed him of the visit but he did not know whether it took place and about any cheating.

Pruitt told investigators he was unaware of Nolen's visit, but an Oct. 9 phone call seems to contradict his account. University records show Pruitt recalled receiving a phone call from an unidentified person who said that someone from the Nolen travel party "coincidentally saw" Pruitt board the bus to go to Georgia. Pruitt claimed a visit was not discussed in the call.

The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Nolen was the lone 2022 prospect listed in the NCAA documents among the six unnamed recruits to make dead period visits. The others were from the 2021 class. Nolen transferred from St. Benedict at Auburndale outside Memphis to Powell, where he won a state championship as a senior.

Nolen committed to Texas A&M in December 2021 over Tennessee.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Jeremy Pruitt's Tennessee Vols hosted Walter Nolen on impermissible visit