2025 OL Drew Nichols commits to Michigan State: 'It just feels like home'

Michigan State hosted seven class of 2025 prospects in East Lansing this past weekend for official visits — three uncommitted recruits and four current commits. Now, one of those uncommitted prospects entering the weekend has joined the fold as well, as three-star California offensive lineman Drew Nichols out of Murrieta Valley High School has become the latest recruit to pledge to the Spartans.

Nichols announced his commitment to the Spartans on Monday.

The new Michigan State staff led by head coach Jonathan Smith has brought its West Coast ties to Mid-Michigan, as Nichols felt comfortable pledging to MSU following a strong visit.

"I chose them because I believe they can develop me the best, and their humble blue-collar culture resonates with me well," Nichols told Spartans Illustrated about why he decided to commit to MSU. "I also really loved the history of the area."

He becomes the seventh current commit in the 2025 recruiting class for the Spartans and the first offensive lineman. Nichols joins three-star tight end Emmett Bork, three-star quarterback Leo Hannan, three-star linebacker Charles White, three-star linebacker Dimari Malone, three-star running back Jace Clarizio and three-star wide receiver Braylon Collier as the current committed members of Michigan State's 2025 class.

Nichols and Hannan give the Spartans two current commits from the state of California.

The Spartans offered Nichols back in March. He has family connections to the program as three of his uncles attended Michigan State and have spoken highly of the school. He still has many family members who reside in the Great Lakes State as well.

While he is going to miss his immediate family in California once he gets to college, Nichols looks forward to spending more time with his other family members in Michigan.

"I love that I can be close to my Michigan relatives now and I think it’s pretty special to be able to spend more time with them," Nichols said. "It will be hard being away from my parents and sisters, but I should be fine. I’m just excited to go and live out my childhood dream of playing college football on the big stage."

Since he received the MSU offer earlier this year, Nichols has created a strong bond with Michigan State offensive line coach and run game coordinator Jim Michalczik ("Coach M"). Their relationship goes back to 2023 when Michalczik was at Oregon State and saw Nichols at a Murrieta Valley High School showcase event.

During the official visit, Nichols was able to spend quality time with Smith, Michalczik, assistant offensive line coach Jacob Lail and others. He joked that Lail had his hands full with the Nichols family this weekend.

"I really look up to Coach M, and Coach Smith. I believe that they can develop me into the man and football player that I want to be. I also appreciate Coach Lail for putting up with my family all weekend," Nichols said with a laugh.

The official visit to Michigan State was eye-opening for Nichols. While he has been to Michigan before, this was his first trip to Michigan State's campus. Growing up in Southern California, Nichols appreciated the different weather, greenery, atmosphere and culture of East Lansing. He looks forward to the new experiences when he arrives in college next year.

"I saw many different parts of campus, and I also got familiar with East Lansing," Nichols said about the official visit. "My favorite part was seeing the green and the different weather. Coming from California, I’m not exposed to a lot of different types of weather. I thought it would be fun to go to a school that has a different climate than SoCal."

While on the trip, Nichols was hosted by true freshmen offensive linemen and twins Mercer and Charlton Luniewski. The young offensive linemen all got along really well.

"They were very hospitable, and I had a great time hanging out with them," Nichols said about the Luniewski twins.

While East Lansing, Michigan is roughly 2,200-plus miles away from his home in Murrieta, California, and Nichols is aware it will take some time to adjust, he is excited for the opportunity to live in a different area of the United States.

Michigan State made Nichols and his family feel extremely comfortable despite the logistics of moving across the country once he enrolls at MSU. Additionally, there were more important things in Nichols' recruitment than distance from home.

"Distance was a factor (initially), but I think it will be OK," Nichols explained. "I don’t think I want to stay in Southern California my whole life. The main factors that influenced the decision were support from staff and alumni, campus and football culture, and academics."

MSU checked all of the boxes for Nichols due to the history of the program, the university's academic standing, the culture that is being built and more. Nichols also believes that Smith, Michalczik and the rest of the staff will soon lead Michigan State back to success. He wants to be part of the foundation that turns things around for MSU.

Following the trip, Nichols was certain that East Lansing was the best place for his future, and he opted to become a Spartan.

"MSU’s program has the history, coaching and support it needs to grow rapidly in these next few years," Nichols said. "I want to be a part of it. The school’s football culture is also elite. Overall, it just feels like home."

The nearly 6-foot-5, 280-pound Nichols ranks as the No. 83 player in the talent-rich state of California.

Sources tell Spartans Illustrated that Michigan State is primarily recruiting him as a guard, although Nichols said that Michalczik likes his versatility in the trenches, and that he could also play center or tackle.

"I like to be as versatile as possible," Nichols said when asked about his game. "I love running, I love blocking and moving in space, and I love playing football with my buddies. I have a passion for this game that helps me a lot too — it gives me a motor and an urge to learn more and become a more developed player."

Prior to committing to Michigan State, Nichols scheduled official visits to Boise State and UCLA, however, he no longer plans to take those trips. With that said, Nichols expressed gratitude to those two programs and the other schools that recruited him throughout his process.

"All of my interactions with those other coaches have helped me develop dramatically," he explained.

In addition to Michigan State, Boise State and UCLA, Nichols has garnered scholarship offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, California, Miami (FL.), Minnesota, SMU, Washington State and several others.

Nicholas also works hard in the classroom with an impressive 4.38 grade point average.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Join the discussion on this article in our premium forums by clicking here.

You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, and Instagram.

For video content, including our Red Cedar Radar podcast, find us on YouTube and consider subscribing.