Oakdale grad Dom Nichols working to stand out for 18th-ranked Wolverines

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

COLLEGE PARK — At 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, Dom Nichols doesn’t stands out as much as he once did.

At Oakdale High School, where he helped lead the Bears to a state title as the star defensive end/tight end in 2023, he was a man among boys, an athletic marvel.

But now at the University of Michigan, where is a sophomore and in the defensive line rotation as a backup, a lot more people look and play like him on the field.

“That’s how it should be,” Nichols said after registering two tackles Saturday for the 18th-ranked Wolverines in their 45-20 victory over Maryland at SECU Stadium. “It’s Division I football and what you can expect when you play at a school like Michigan. I wouldn’t expect anything less. I went here for a reason.”

Still, Nichols has made a big impression since arriving in Ann Arbor in December 2023, right after winning the state title at Oakdale and right before Michigan won the national title in January 2024.

He graduated from high school early to help facilitate an earlier and smoother transition to college.

As a freshman last year, he was named the team’s Scout Team Player of the Year for the work he did on the unit that mimics the plays, characteristics and trends of the opponents during the practice week.

“I was on the scout team for two weeks and then I got moved up. I don’t know how I won that,” Nichols said with a chuckle. “But a win is a win.”

Nichols also earned a letter last season for appearing in five games and finishing with one solo tackle, two assisted tackles and a forced fumble in the Wolverines’ 19-13 victory over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31 in Tampa, Florida.

The coaches are noticing him on a regular basis.

“He is a hard worker with special physical gifts, and he is developing the football mindset and physicality that can take him to the next level in terms of his performance on the field,” Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito said this week about Nichols.

In Michigan’s season opener against New Mexico on Aug. 30, Nichols sacked the quarterback for the first time in college.

A week later in Norman, Oklahoma, he registered four tackles, which remains his career high, in a 24-13 loss to an Oklahoma Sooners team that was 18th-ranked at the time.

So far this season, Nichols has 12 solo tackles and four assisted tackles, including four-and-a-half tackles for loss, to go along with his one sack and one quarterback hit.

On Saturday, playing in the shadow of his hometown with friends and family wearing maize and blue in the stands at Maryland, Nichols made two solo tackles within the span of three plays late in the third quarter to avoid being held off the stat sheet for the second straight week and only the fourth time this season despite his limited snaps.

He’ll happily take every in-game rep he can get at this point, including on special teams, a unit he was a part of Saturday for the Wolverines.

“Yeah, it’s good,” he said. “Just a process. There’s a lot of good talent on the team. So, it’s just going to take time. You wait for your opportunity to present itself and just take advantage of that.”

Nichols’ big opportunity could arrive next season after several players ahead of him on the current depth chart at defensive end graduate. He will be a junior then and eager to make a big splash as a dominant pass rusher.

“We have a deep edge [rusher] room at Michigan, and Dom has learned from the veterans on the team while working towards his own goals,” Esposito said. “He is someone the defense relies on, and we envision his role continuing to grow in the future. He’s a pleasure to coach, and we are glad to have him here at Michigan.”

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos