Michigan EDGE commit Dominic Nichols ready to sign, join team for bowl practices

Michigan EDGE commit Dominic Nichols is officially a state champion.

The three-star prospect led Ijamsville (Md.) Oakdale to a win over Frederick (Md.) Linganore in the Maryland state title game over the weekend. Nichols also finished as Oakdale’s all-time leader in pressures, sacks and tackles for loss.

“Honestly, it means more because we went all the way last year and lost,” Nichols said. “As a team, we worked for that. I worked hard myself because I never wanted to feel like that again. It’s definitely great. If you don’t want to pay for school and you want to go public, Oakdale is the place to be. Coach (Kurt) Stein and all the coaches did a great job of putting me in spots to make plays, and I made them.”

Nichols committed to Michigan in June over offers from Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Stanford, Tennessee, Wisconsin and others. While Florida State and Wisconsin kept in touch this fall, Nichols has remained solid with his commitment.

Nichols is gearing up to sign with U-M in a couple of weeks and is excited to officially become a Wolverine.

“I’m locked in,” Nichols said. “I’m supposed to be there the 27th for practices. It’s a little worrisome with everything going on. The timing is unfortunate. Do I stick with my commitment and take a risk? I’m willing to take the risk. I think Coach (Jim) Harbaugh is staying, but even if he doesn’t, I think they’ll hire Coach (Sherrone) Moore, and he’s doing a great job.”

As Nichols mentioned, he is an early enrollee and is set to fly out to California to start practicing with the team as it prepares to take on Alabama in the College Football Playoff.

“I get to practice and get ready for my freshman year, which will be great,” Nichols said. “I’m the only EDGE coming in early, so I’m getting a jump-start. It’s going to benefit me in the long run. I’m excited about the weight room. I have some muscle to throw on there. Coach Herb (Ben Herbert) makes the biggest difference. He gets a lot of dudes ready to go pretty quickly.”

Nichols is looking forward to being in attendance for the Rose Bowl and believes U-M can win and advance to the national title game.

“I do think that game is going to be close,” Nichols said. “Bama is just a tough team. They are good. But obviously, I’m going to root for Michigan. If they play how they have all year, they’ll win the game. They’ve been battle tested with Penn State and Ohio State.”

At 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, Nichols is ranked as the No. 40 EDGE and No. 441 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking.

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