Hello: Dominic Nichols
Michigan picked up their second EDGE commitment of the cycle over the weekend, during Michigan's last big recruiting weekend of June before the dead period. The commitment was from one Dominic Nichols, a 4* EDGE prospect from Oakdale HS and Ijamsville, Maryland. Let's give Mr. Nichols his hello:
GURU RATINGS
RATINGS BY SITE |
|||
---|---|---|---|
247: 6'5/252 |
On3: 6'5/240 |
Rivals: 6'5/245 |
ESPN: 6'5/255 |
3*, 89, NR Ovr #30 DE, #10 MD |
4*, 90, NR Ovr #28 DE, #9 MD |
3*, 5.7, NR Ovr #37 SDE, #17 MD |
3*, 79, #50 East #39 DE, #12 MD |
3.89 | 3.96 | 3.64 | 3.81 |
COMPOSITE RANKINGS |
|||
247 Composite |
On3 Consensus |
MGoBlog |
|
4*, 0.8903, #433 Ovr #28 DE, #12 MD |
3*, 89.26, #380 Ovr #25 DE, #11 MD |
3.5*, #507/795 Ovr #58/88 Edges since 1990 |
|
3.90 | 3.93 | 3.84 |
Nichols is a 3* to three of the four outlets and is right on the cusp of 4* status to the composite. On3 is the highest on him, but it's not like there's a terribly dramatic difference between the high end and the low end. All four sites have Nichols between 28th and 39th in their DE rankings and on our five-star scale, between 3.64 and 3.96. Nichols ranks as a 3.5* to our composite and in the historical database he falls 58th out of 88 EDGE prospects since 1990. As for the measurables, everyone agrees Nichols is 6'5", with his weight somewhere between 240 and 255.
[AFTER THE JUMP: Mike Morris 5.0?]
SCOUTING
Our first bit of scouting comes from EJ Holland of On3, who has seen Nichols several times at camps he's attended and has visited Nichols' high school twice. With that abundance of first-hand viewing experience, EJ is able to give us some informed takes on Mr. Nichols ($):
Look, Nichols isn’t super twitchy, but he has adequate athleticism, good length, terrific brute strength and knows how to get to the quarterback. Simply put, he checks a lot of boxes. I would have him ranked somewhere in the 300-350 range
In particular, EJ likes how Nichols meshes with Devon Baxter and throws out the comparison you're going to hear often:
Baxter is the really raw talent with upside in the same mold as David Ojabo, while Nichols is a bigger EDGE with some ceiling and a high floor in the same mold as Mike Morris
EJ clarifies where Michigan sees Nichols lining up on their defense:
Some schools wanted Nichols as five-technique or 4i defensive lineman. He does play with his hand in the dirt on film, and I do think he has the potential to spin down if needed. However, Michigan didn’t really talk to him about that during his recruitment. They’ve always envisioned him as a bigger EDGE
Nichols gave an interview to Adam Friedman of Rivals and confirms that piece of insight, saying that Michigan's SDE role was attractive to him during the recruitment:
"Position-wise, playing on the edge is where I felt most comfortable and it's where I've always wanted to play," Nichols said. "Michigan having a strongside defensive end my size was a good fit. With Ojabo, Hutchinson, and Mike Morris coming from there, Michigan was definitely appealing."
Touch The Banner put up a scouting report yesterday afternoon, following the Nichols commitment. Magnus likes the raw frame:
Nichols is a big body whose frame has some room to grow. He’s already listed at 252 lbs. and there has been some talk that he’s 6’6″, though most sites list him at 6’5″. He shows the ability to be physical when making tackles and taking on blockers ... His wingspan allows him to snare some ball carriers that otherwise might slip past.
However, he largely pours cold water on the rest of the profile due to the lack of twitchiness that EJ mentioned:
His first step is somewhat slow, and he often has to use counter moves to try to push the pocket or get a pass rush. For being a 4-star edge prospect, he very rarely wins with speed ... I think his upside is limited due to his lack of quickness
TTB also cites some technique issues that need to be addressed by the Michigan staff:
Nichols plays too high and, as a result of that, does not show much of an ability to convert what he sees into a sense of urgency to change direction. He takes on too many blocks in the chest and does not sufficiently use his length to shock, lock out, and shed blockers.
As a whole, the summary is "meh":
He could end up being a Mike Morris-level standup defensive end ... I think Michigan’s defense will be more effective overall if they have more of a quick-twitch player there at that spot
If you want a complete 180° turn from the broad scouting consensus, you can read an interview that EJ did with Nichols' coach ($), who seems to be watching a very different sort of player (emphasis mine):
"His length, his size and his athleticism are some of his biggest strengths,” Stein said. “He’s 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, and he can do a 360 dunk. He has incredible get off and reach. When he wants to get his arm out and extend, there isn’t much offensive tackles can do, especially at the high school level
While Nichols is likely to follow in the path of guys like Aidan Hutchinson and Mike Morris, Stein actually likened him to a different Michigan great — David Ojabo
I'm going to attribute this mostly to a coach hyping up his player because my eye test of the tape largely sides with EJ/TTB on a Mike Morris comparison here. Nichols' coach also pointed out that he has played both sides of the ball:
He’s the heart of our defense, and we’re going to be counting on him a lot if we want to make a trip to the state championship. He’s in a spot where he plays both ways a lot, so there is some wear and tear
EJ adds the detail that Nichols has played TE/WR, in addition to his defensive responsibilities.
OFFERS
The primary suitor for Nichols outside of Michigan was believed to be Wisconsin, who had some momentum after their OV before Michigan put an end to that when Nichols visited Ann Arbor. Penn State was also sniffing around, with Kentucky on the periphery. Additionally, Nichols held offers from B1G squads Maryland, MSU, Minnesota, Rutgers, Northwestern, and Indiana, plus scholarships from southern big dogs Georgia, Tennessee, Clemson, and Ole Miss. Beyond that there's a laundry list of teams all the way down to UMass who aren't worth stating because you get the idea. Nichols was an attractive recruit.
HIGH SCHOOL
Nichols plays at Oakdale High School, a public high school out in Frederick County, MD, officially listed as Ijamsville. It sits along I-70, just past the city of Frederick, if you were heading east to Baltimore. Oakdale is a rather new school, opening in 2010, graduating its first senior class in 2013. They had 1,267 students as of 2019-20 and have been able to build up a good football program with that student body, winning the division 2A state title in 2018. Now ranking in division 3A, the Bears are coming off an 11-3 season in 2022 where they finished 6-1 in their region (Central Maryland), taking second behind 7-1 Frederick. The team made it all the way to the 3A state championship game, but fell short against Damascus by a score of 21-14.
STATS
I have not been able to find any stats on Nichols because Oakdale's 2022 MaxPreps site is barren. They have stats for only one game listed, which is not at all useful. None of the scouting reports I have found quote any kind of stats either and Oakdale's website also does not have any statistics.
FAKE 40 TIME
Nichols has done the Under Armour Baltimore camp a couple of years now, so On3 has a wide array of verified testing numbers for Nichols, including a 40 time. They have him down for a 5.0 forty, which, as they state, is below average for both a top 300 EDGE out of HS and an NFL combine EDGE draftee over the last three years. Given Nichols' profile as more of a strength rather than athleticism/quickness recruit, that makes sense. An independently verified time that lines up with the scouting qualifies as zero FAKES out of five for me.
VIDEO
Junior year highlights:
More available on his Hudl page.
EJ has some tape from him at the UA Baltimore camps. Here's one example:
Four-star Michigan EDGE target Dominic Nichols (@DominicNichols0) going through individual drills #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/J0l6OIIiiU
— "EJ Holland" (@EJHollandOn3) May 14, 2023
ETC
Flirtation with Wisconsin appears to be linked to a bizarre story involving Nichols, a boat, and a coach diving into the water. Check it out if you can ($). Close friends with Devon Baxter.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
Nichols seems to be a solid if unsexy addition to the 2024 class. He comes from a decent HS football program, gets good marks for his attitude and coachability, and has a reasonably translatable skillset with a high floor. Nichols is already playing at over 250 lbs. by all accounts, but has the frame to get up to the 290 Mike Morris was playing at. The apparent lack of athleticism/burst tempers expectations and may quiet enthusiasm for him as a prospect, but the mix of frame, length, and projectable strength are reasons to bring him in. Nichols has some technique aspects to clean up, but everyone should feel confident in Michigan's abilities to rectify those. Once he goes through a proper Herbertization, you should have a competent beefy SDE option who can kick inside on passing downs if needed and win reps through his bullrush. If nothing else, Nichols is a good stylistic complement to the super raw Devon Baxter.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
Nichols joins Baxter as the first two EDGE commitments that Michigan has in the 2024 class. They are favored to add a third early next week when 4* Elias Rudolph closes his commitment on July 3, with the Maize & Blue as the favorites for his services. With Darien Mayo out of the picture and Brian Robinson's pursuit grinding to a seeming halt, the primary target for the preferred fourth EDGE spot in the class is 4* Jacob Smith, twin brother of commit Jerod. Jacob has been slowplaying his commitment out of a desire to carve his own path in life. Most insiders still think Michigan ends up the winner here, but Smith continues to think long and hard. It seems that Nebraska is the main alternative for Smith and that battle may rage on for a bit longer, though Smith intends to wrap it up this summer. If Michigan could nail down Rudolph and Smith, I'd think that these four players are the finalized EDGE class, unless something changes with a blue chip prospect elsewhere.
THE CLASS AS IT STANDS
OFFENSE | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Player | State | Stars | In a nutshell |
QB | Jadyn Davis | NC | 4.7 | Smooth, accurate field general |
RB | Jordan Marshall | OH | 4.4⬇ | Accelerates South-North |
RB | Micah Ka'apana | NV | 3.7⬆ | Well-balanced accelerator |
WR | I'Marion Stewart | IL | 3.9⬇ | Ronnie slick/quick, #1 WR to M |
WR | Channing Goodwin | NC | 3.8 | Chain-moving son of Jon |
TE | Brady Prieskorn | MI | 4.4⬇ | Colston Loveland Midwest |
TE | Hogan Hansen | WA | 4.1⬆ | Colston Loveland West |
LT | Andrew Sprague | MO | 4.2⬆ | Basketballin' grow-a-Long |
RT | Blake Frazier | TX | 4.2⬆⬆ | Athletic son of Steve |
RG | Luke Hamilton | OH | 4.0 | Midwestern mauler |
LG | Ben Roebuck | OH | 3.8⬇⬇ | Bigger Midwestern mauler |
C | Jake Guarnera | FL | 3.8 | Mauler but center |
DEFENSE | ||||
Pos | Player | State | Stars | In a nutshell |
DT | Manuel Beigel | CT | 3.5⬇ | Lengthy German via Choate |
DT | Owen Wafle | NJ | 4.0⬇ | Little nose with bite |
DT | Ted Hammond | OH | 4.0 | Cincy build-a-bear |
DT/DE | Jerod Smith | CT | 4.0⬆ | Low-pads, high-motor big twin |
Edge | Dominic Nichols | MD | 3.8⬆ | Mike Morris-ish SDE |
Edge | Devon Baxter | MD | 3.8⬆ | Super long 4-3 grow-an-edge. |
OLB | Mason Curtis | TN | 4.2⬆ | Long athlete moving up |
OLB | Jaden Smith | NC | 3.9⬆ | Underscouted Uche |
HSP | Cole Sullivan | PA | 3.8 | Hybrid LB with crazy athleticism |
S | Jacob Oden | MI | 4.1 | Tall son of coach |
[quick note from Seth: ESPN put a ranking on Baxter on Jaden Smith, which has altered their star score in this table]
Maybe Seth or Brian can provide more input here, but I think Sam Webb mentioned a few weeks back something about Nichols either having a broken foot during the season or during the camp circuit that hindered his athleticism? Might be worth nothing in this assessment of his athleticism
Just for reference I went back and looked and Mike Morris came in at 6' 6, 260 lbs. Michigan listed him as 6' 6", 292 lbs. He measured 6' 5", 275 lbs at the combine.
NFL evaluators though Mike was more of a hand in the dirt 5 tech but Mike really wanted to play Edge in the league. He lost all that weight to workout with the Edge guys at the combine and still tested poorly. He’s just not a very twitchy guy and that’s ok. I’m sure he’ll play closer to 290 in the NFL.
This could be an MGoBlog record for me for most confusing Hello ever.
Not blaming the writing because it's put together in standard form, but the story that falls out is incoherent. Near 4-star with mediocre speed, "unsexy" recruit with a pile of offers? I'm used to scouts wildly contradicting each other by now, but for once the rating spread is relatively tight. Instead, this here is a recruit that apparently a bunch of programs wanted but no one was excited about. It'd be one thing if he's a high-upside raw prospect that could be Herbertized into a monster, but what I'm reading here indicates he's a "high-floor" JAG.
To be clear I'm not down on the chap himself; it's everyone else. They're saying he's like. . . what. . . the best unseasoned chicken & potatoes you'd ever had? I'm boggled as to how a recruit everyone is supposedly "meh" on is nonetheless the recipient of a 3.5-star rating and offers from Georgia & Clemson. I know not all offers are equal, but that's kind of unusual.
I would bet that we took him because he's grown since the last eval and are betting on further growth, because watching film he is slow off the whistle, but has thick legs for someone his size.
I mean you can watch his tape and see that he's a powerful DE who uses has hands well and gets to the QB, but doesn't exactly have the prototypical bend, speed, agility, etc. that a highly rated DE usually has. This was a legit battle between us, Clemon, PSU, and Wisconsin. Kid is good
It’d be a waste of time. I ain’t gonna pretend I can extrapolate performance against FBS competition from watching HS tape.
Well, Magnus/Thunder is where you go when you want that splash of cold water.
I wonder when he got those offers and if they were really recruiting him hard.
He seems very solid, with a Mike Morris ceiling. He's very strong, and hits incredibly hard. I'm not sure how much pass rush he can provide at a higher level against more athletic OL. I think he can be a solid part of the rotation and have an impact with his physicality.
This recruitment seemed to mainly be a battle between us, PSU, Wisco, and Clemson. Clemson apparently tried to make a late push
BTW, not really relevant to the meat of the Hello post, but Ijamsville is basically just as close to DC as Baltimore. It can be reached off 70 or 270. It’s home to one of the better public gold courses around: the PB Dye Golf Club.
My nickels worth of opinion: I find his role and position, very important, but not very flashy. Seems to me that the upperclassmen version of Nichols should be very good against the run, capable of getting after the QB, and be counted on to keep his rush lane, keeping the QB in the pocket, for the potentially quick edge off the other side can make hay while the sun shines. Also, these big, tall, long edges, Elston is fond of, are really good at batting down passes; disrupting those short swing passes.
Take those dumbbell OSU edges last year. They got themselves in a whole lot of hurt, getting too far upfield, searching for glory, while the QB stepped up in the pocket to run or hit a “wide open” Cornelius Johnson. Just do you job son, and we will all be much better off
Eh, come back when you have a Nichols’ worth of opinion on nickels.
Sounds like we may be talking about the Nichols Line come 2027.
Can we get clarification on the arrows in the class standings? I realize that up is up and down is down, but is this based on MGB internal assessment? Or changes to the composite rankings since the last “Hello” post? Or maybe something entirely different?
Changes in ranking over time, I believe.
If we add Jacob Smith, that will pretty much seal my inability to remember which recruit is which in this class.
Jacob Oden, Jacob Smith, Jerod Smith, Jaden Smith, Jadyn Davis
Don't forget Jakob Davis and Jayden Oden.
Welcome, Mr. Nichols!
Nice get, especially after a pit stop at Church Street Barber.
Comments