Tag: ben nichols

Notre Dame makes the top group for 2026 4-star offensive lineman

The Irish are still in the hunt for one of the Midwests best offensive lineman

With the early signing period rapidly approaching, many teams like Notre Dame football are already looking to the 2026 class options.

One of those for the Irish is Michigan offensive lineman [autotag]Ben Nichols[/autotag], who trimmed his list down to nine schools recently. The 6-foot, 5-inch and 315-pounders remaining teams are a who’s who of college football which includes Alabama, Ohio State, Tennessee, Penn State, the Irish, and others.

It will be a highly competitive recruiting battle between his final nine, as the nation’s No. 234 overall recruit according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings has a difficult decision ahead of him.

Nichols hasn’t taken many visits this fall, but one of them was to South Bend, even though he was on hand for the loss to Northern Illinois. Hopefully the play of the Notre Dame offensive line has gotten his attention, as they were named as a Joe Moore Award semifinalist on Tuesday morning.

Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, second from right, talks to offensive lineman Aamil Wagner (59) during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in South Bend.

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2026 offensive lineman includes Tennessee in top nine schools

2026 offensive lineman from Michigan includes Tennessee in top nine schools.

2026 interior offensive lineman prospect Ben Nichols announced his top nine schools.

Nichol’s top 10 schools are Tennessee, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Iowa, Notre Dame and Alabama.

The 6-foot-5, 315-pound four-star interior offensive lineman prospect is from Davison High School in Davison, Michigan.

He ranks No. 234 nationally in the 247Sports Composite for the class of 2026. Nichols also ranks as the No. 15 interior offensive lineman and No. 3 prospect in Michigan.

The Vols offered him a scholarship on May 7.

Tennessee has six commitments in its 2026 recruiting class: Quarterback Faizon Brandon, tight end Carson Sneed, offensive lineman Brandon Anderson, defensive lineman Tyson Bacon, wide receiver Tyreek King and linebacker Braylon Outlaw.

Wisconsin football class of 2026 iOL target includes Badgers in list of finalists

Wisconsin football class of 2026 iOL target includes Badgers in list of finalists

Wisconsin top class of 2026 target Ben Nichols included the Badgers in his list of final schools on Monday.

Nichols, who received his offer from the Badgers on May 15, included Wisconsin along with Tennessee, Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Kentucky and Iowa.

At the time of his offer, On3’s industry ranking considered Nichols the No. 19 interior offensive lineman in the class of 2026, No. 4 recruit from Michigan and No. 238 overall recruit in the class. The outlet has elevated Nichols to the No. 16 iOL, No. 3 recruit from Michigan and No. 199 overall recruit in his class.

While Nichols does not hold a 247Sports crystal ball prediction at this stage of his recruitment, On3’s recruiting prediction machine lists the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as his most likely landing spot at over 84%. Michigan, Ohio State and Eastern Michigan all hold less than a 7% chance to secure a commitment.

Nichols is considered a four-star recruit from virtually every recruiting outlet. At 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, Nichols has the frame to become a devastating force on any offensive line when he makes the jump to the collegiate level.

Currently, UW’s iOL room consists of Joe Huber, Jake Renfro and James Durand.

4-star in-state OL includes Spartans in top 9 schools list

Michigan State football is one of nine schools still in the running for a big-time in-state prospect in the 2026 class

Michigan State football is one of nine schools still in the running for a big-time in-state prospect in the 2026 class.

Ben Nichols of Davison, Mich. released his top nine schools list on Monday, and it included the Spartans. Michigan State was joined by Alabama, Ohio State, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Iowa.

Nichols is a four-star interior offensive lineman, according to 247Sports. He ranks as the No. 15 interior offensive lineman and No. 234 overall prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the class. He’s also listed as the No. 3 player from Michigan in the class.

Nichols holds offers from nearly 20 programs, according to 247Sports. Michigan State extended him an offer in June of 2023.

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2026 Notre Dame interior offensive lineman target to visit campus

Hope the Irish can impress him enough.

Notre Dame has been a hotbed for offensive line talent in recent years. While there are concerns about that unit in 2024, the future always seems bright these days. Hopefully for the Irish, that future will include 2026 recruit Ben Nichols.

Nichols, Michigan’s No. 3 recruit in the 2026 class according to 247Sports, has received offers from 19 Football Bowl Subdivision programs. The Irish made their offer on St. Patrick’s Day this year. Now, he’ll be making a visit to campus when the Irish open their home schedule against Northern Illinois.

Nichols took to social media and expressed excitement about his upcoming trip to South Bend:

The Irish have some stiff competition to try and win Nichols’ services. Alabama made the most recent offer in late August. Others aiming for him include Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Illinois.

Good luck to the Irish in landing Nichols. They just might need it.

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Wisconsin football offers four-star class of 2026 iOL

Wisconsin football offers four-star class of 2026 iOL

Wisconsin football extended an offer to four-star class of 2026 iOL Will Conroy on Friday.

Conroy joins Ben Nichols, another four-star class of 2026 iOL, to receive offers from the Badgers this week.

Both 247Sports’ composite ranking and On3’s industry ranking have Conroy as a four-star recruit. The Cleveland, Ohio native already holds offers from 22 schools including Oregon, Miami (Florida), Florida, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin

On3’s industry ranking has Conroy as the No. 20 interior offensive lineman in the class of 2026, No. 12 recruit from Ohio and No. 254 overall player in the class. He currently stands at 6’3,” 275 pounds, representing St. Ignatius High School in Ohio.

His first gridiron offer arrived from Oregon in September 2023. Alongside Missouri, Wisconsin became the latest program to offer Conroy in May 2024.

247sports’ crystal ball prediction and On3’s recruiting prediction machine both have Ohio State as Conroy’s most likely landing spot.

Currently, UW’s iOL room consists of Joe Huber, Jake Renfro and James Durand,.

Wisconsin football offers four-star class of 2026 IOL

Wisconsin football offers four-star class of 2026 IOL

Wisconsin football extended an offer to four-star class of 2026 iOL Ben Nichols on Wednesday.

Both 247sports’ composite ranking and On3’s industry ranking have Nichols as a four-star recruit. The Davison, Michigan native already holds offers from 13 schools including Michigan State, Florida State, Purdue, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Illinois and Tennessee.

On3’s industry ranking has Nichols as the No. 19 interior offensive lineman in the class of 2026, No. 4 recruit from Michigan and No. 238 overall recruit in the class. He currently stands at 6’5,’’ 315 pounds and represents Davison High School.

His first gridiron offer arrived from Central Michigan in January 2023. From February through May 2024, Nichols has received the bulk of his offers.

On3’s recruiting prediction machine has Michigan State as Nichols’ most likely landing spot. 247Sports has yet to release a crystal ball prediction, but in-state programs Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan were the first to offer Nicholas in 2023.

Currently, UW’s iOL room consists of Joe Huber, Jake Renfro and James Durand, per 247sports.

2026 OL/DL Ben Nichols of Davison, Mich. to visit MSU this weekend

Ben Nichols of Davison, Mich. will be visiting Michigan State this upcoming weekend for the program’s annual Spartan Dawg Con event

Ben Nichols of Davison, Mich. will be visiting Michigan State this upcoming weekend for the program’s annual Spartan Dawg Con event.

Nichols is an offensive and defensive lineman prospect in the 2026 class. He has recently become an interest of the Spartans, earning a scholarship offer from Michigan State last month.

Nichols is yet to be ranked on 247Sports, but has the size to be a big-time prospect in the 2026 class. He is listed at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds. He also has received offers from Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.

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MSU football offers 2026 OL Ben Nichols of Davison, Mich.

Michigan State football has extended a scholarship to a 2026 offensive lineman target from its home state

Michigan State football has extended a scholarship to a 2026 offensive lineman target from its home state.

Ben Nichols of Davison, Mich. announced on Monday that he’s received a scholarship offer from the Spartans. He is listed at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds on 247Sports, and plays for Davison High.

Nichols is yet to be ranked on 247Sports but has already picked up interest from a handful of schools in Michigan. He also has offers from Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

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