Nickel sees need for all-around TE at Michigan State
Michigan State doesn’t have a complete all-around tight end in its football program at present, which is why the Spartans have made Jack Nickel one of their top recruiting targets for the Class of 2022.
At 6-foot-4, 230, Nickel checks off all of the boxes.
He runs good routes and is a capable pass-catcher. He is comfortable playing in-line, flexed out, and working out of the backfield as an H-back. Nickel also possesses a good frame and strength as well as a wrestler’s understanding of leverage, enabling him to excel in the blocking component at tight end.
“Michigan State likes that I am not only a good blocker, but also a good receiver,” said Nickel, who is ranked No. 34 at tight end and No. 52 in Georgia by Rivals.com. “A lot of guys are just blockers or just receivers coming out of high school, and they have to develop other aspects of their game. I am more of an all-around player, and they’ve said that they don’t have someone like that right now.
"They need a guy like me, a true Y that can block and catch.”
Michigan State is one of three programs Nickel will visit in June. The Spartans will host Nickel first (June 4-6), followed by Virginia Tech (June 11-13), and Cal (June 25-27).
Michigan State will undoubtedly put on a full-court press for Nickel’s services during his official visit, but don’t expect a decision from the one-time Notre Dame commitment until he has an opportunity to thoroughly vet each of the programs he visits.
“I don’t think that I am going to make any decisions until after I take all my official visits,” Nickel said. “I am going to take my official visits and look closely at some schools to see how I fit on certain campuses and also build a better relationship with coaches.”
Nickel will likely add a fourth official visit to his summer calendar in the weeks ahead, and could take as many as five official visits before he turns his attention to selecting a college program. Louisville, LSU, Nebraska, Kentucky, and Purdue are among the programs Nickel is considering for his remaining unscheduled official visits.
“Just knowing that I could see myself there is a big part of it,” Nickel said, “just seeing if the campus feels right for me. And then, I have never met a lot of the coaches recruiting me in person before, and I think that being able to build those relationships in person will be big for me.”
Michigan State has tag-teamed Nickel with tight ends coach Ted Gilmore and running backs coach Will Peagler both playing an active role his recruitment. Both Michigan State assistants have been effective in pitching the Spartan program to Nickel.
“Coach Gilmore is definitely very knowledgeable,” Nickel said. “He has tons of coaching experience. He has been coaching since the 90’s and his background in the receiving game especially is very intriguing. Coach Peagler is real energetic guy, and this was kind of his recruiting area pre-COVID. Coach Peagler was the coach that actually offered me, and he has been really energetic and enthusiastic about me the whole time.”
Gilmore’s background as a wide receivers coach as well as his decades of experience in both college and the NFL resonate with Nickel. Peagler, an energetic recruiter, who has recruiting ties to suburban Atlanta, has also developed a strong rapport with Nickel.
Virginia Tech appeals to Nickel in part because the Hokies have a commitment from his high school teammate Devin Farrell, a 6-0, 192-pound quarterback.
“My quarterback is committed there, and I have two or three other teammates taking official visits as well,” Nickel said. “I really like how Virginia Tech uses the tight end, and it is also a pretty good academic school too.”
Cal’s academic reputation is a strong selling point for Nickel.
“I really like Cal’s academics, and how they use the tight end,” Nickel said. “I also really like the coaching experience that they have. A lot of their coaches have NFL experience.”
Nickel established himself as a-no doubt Power Five prospect as a Freshman All-American for a 7A state champion Milton ballclub in 2018. Since that breakthrough season, Nickel has kept it rolling with a total of 54 receptions for 742 yards and six touchdowns.
As a freshman, Nickel played a significant chunk of his snaps on offense at the H-Back position. In subsequent years, however, his role has evolved. At this stage in his development, Nickel is reliable in-line blocker. He also possesses the route-running skills necessary to play outside at receiver.
“If you look at my film, you can see that they use me in a number of ways,” Nickel said. “I’ve been playing H back since my freshman year. I’ve been playing in-line, and I’m also split out at receiver and can run routes out there or be used in the screen game to block out there. There are a number of ways that they’ve used me.”
Nickel credits his background as a wrestler with helping him excel in his blocking role as a tight end.
“This past year I played football and I wrestled,” Nickel said. “Wrestling is something that I started when I was six or seven years old and did through middle school. Wrestling has helped me so much with my blocking because it really teaches you leverage, and then there’s the mentality of wrestling has help me. Playing basketball when I was younger has helped me with my agility.”
Nickel believes route running to be the area where he has improved the most as a tight end during his three years as a varsity starter at Milton.
“Nobody knows that on the spot,” Nickel said. “It’s definitely something that everyone has to improve on. I have been working really hard on that and it has definitely gotten a lot better.”
Nickel is serious about his craft and as such is committed to tightening up every aspect of his game between now and his collegiate career.
“There’s not any glaring things that stick out,” Nickel said. “Because I am an all-around guy, I want to improve on everything to be ready for college.”