At one point earlier this summer, Oregon was considered the significant leader for Ripon (Calif.) Manteca linebacker Blake Nichelson. The Ducks even made his recent top three.
But another program has a strong lead in the race to him, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). Florida State, which hosted Nichelson for an official visit in mid-June holds a 95.0 percent chance of securing his commitment, per the RPM. That includes a trio of recent expert predictions from On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons, ScoopDuck.com insider Justin Hopkins, and Warchant’s Michael Langston.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Nichelson is the No. 206 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He ranks as the nation’s No. 18 linebacker and the No. 13 player in California.
On3 is slightly higher on him than other services though, as evidence in the Industry Comparison. In the most recent On300 rankings, he was tabbed as the country’s No. 184 prospect, No. 16 linebacker and No. 11 senior in the Golden State.