Nola was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and played baseball alongside his older brother Austin.

After struggling his freshman season due to stress fractures in his back, Nola spent three years playing varsity baseball for Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, including two state playoff appearances.

At the end of his senior year in 2011, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association named Nola the state's "Mr.

He returned in 2017 to beat Curt Schilling's 1996 record for most strikeouts by a Phillies pitcher with fewer than 30 starts in one season.

[4] As a child, Nola used to mimic a pitching motion while watching himself in the mirror, a gesture that his father described as "strange gyrations".

Stress fractures in his back, which doctors attributed to a six-inch summer growth spurt, hampered Nola's freshman season.

Aaron elected not to sign with the Blue Jays and instead attended Louisiana State University (LSU), where his brother was a senior.

[8] After throwing 78 pitches in a 5–0 shutout game against Tulane,[5] Nola gave up five runs in the first inning in his Southeastern Conference (SEC) debut against Mississippi State.

[4] He quickly rebounded, and posted five shutout innings, a recovery that struck LSU pitching coach Alan Dunn, who said that the turnaround "gave us a glimpse of how good Aaron could be".

[5] Head coach Paul Mainieri "made a commitment that day that [Nola] was going to be a starter on the weekend",[4] a position that would have him pitch largely in conference games.

[9] Nola finished his freshman season in 2012 with a 7–4 record and a 3.61 earned run average (ERA) in 89+2⁄3 innings, as well as with seven walks and 89 strikeouts.

On April 19, he threw his first career shutout complete game against Alabama, becoming the first LSU pitcher to shut out an SEC team since Kevin Gausman in 2011.

[29] His last game before being called up to the majors was also his worst professional start, giving up six runs in three innings to the Rochester Red Wings.

[32] He threw his first major league strikeout to Steven Souza Jr. in the first inning of the 1–0 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays.

[8] He notched his first win less than a week later, pitching 7+2⁄3 innings and earning a run batted in (RBI) in the Phillies' July 25, 11–5 rout of the Chicago Cubs.

[36] The Phillies shut Nola down on September 27, following a decision made that July to end his season after pitching approximately 185 innings between the majors and minors.

[40] Two weeks later, general manager Matt Klentak announced that Nola had been diagnosed with "low-grade" sprains and strains in his elbow, and that he would not pitch again for the remainder of the season.

Manager Gabe Kapler's decision to remove Nola from the mound after only 68 pitches was subject to controversy, as the relief pitchers during that game gave up eight runs to the Atlanta Braves.

[36] Nola's 5–0 loss to the Rays at the end of the regular season eliminated the Phillies from wild card contention in the postseason.

[36] Due to an injury to Zack Wheeler, Nola was called upon to make his fifth consecutive opening day start pitching 6 innings and getting the win over the Oakland Athletics.

[67] On October 3, 2022, Nola started the Phillies' playoff-clinching win over the Houston Astros, carrying a perfect game through 6+2⁄3 innings.

During the game, Aaron and Austin Nola became the first pair of brothers in Major League Baseball postseason history to face each other as pitcher and batter.

[77] The contract contains no opt-out provisions, and carries a lower average annual value than other comparable free agent starting pitchers to avoid surpassing Major League Baseball's luxury tax apron.

[80] In 2020, Nola and his teammate Zack Wheeler tied for 11th among major league pitchers, recording 2.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) that season.

[81] Going into the 2021 season, Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports ranked Nola sixth among all 30 Opening Day pitchers, while Will Leitch of MLB.com placed him at number 10.

[84] Nola has largely maintained the same four-pitch lineup since entering the majors in 2015, throwing a four-seam fastball, a curveball, a changeup, and a sinker.

[90] Nola has not missed a start in the rotation since 2017 and is considered one of baseball's most durable pitchers in a profession increasingly plagued by Tommy John surgery.

[94] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nola partnered with Pennsylvania-based brewery Yuengling to launch "Cheers PA," an initiative to provide aid for restaurant and bar workers impacted by shutdowns.

[95] He and catcher J. T. Realmuto also serve as the Phillies' ambassadors for Garth Brooks' "Home Plate Project," which raises money to fight childhood hunger in the US and Canada.