As he enters his sophomore year, Dominic Nichols is looking to become the next product of Michigan’s pass rush factory. To do so, he and defensive line coach Lou Esposito are working on this 1 specific thing to improve Nichols’ overall game:
The edge rusher lineage at Michigan is nothing short of impressive. Ann Arbor has become something of a weigh station in recent years for raw and athletic youngsters that eventually grow into pass rushers of all shapes, sizes and skillsets.
Michigan’s pedigree in this department is one of the things that attracted Dominic Nichols to the program.
“There’s a ton of edges that have come out of Michigan,” Nichols said. “That’s one of the reasons I came here.”
As he enters his sophomore year, Nichols is looking to become the next product of Michigan’s pass rush factory. As just a 6-foot-4, 239-pound freshman, Nichols offered plenty of intrigue for defensive line coach Lou Esposito in 2024. Nichols entered college as a ball of clay that just needed the right hands to mold him.
Nichols played sparingly as a freshman while he took the first steps at refining his game. He got plenty of run during the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama and made an impact with two tackles and a forced fumble. The game represented a stepping stone for Nichols, not just to contribute against a high-caliber opponent, but to get meaningful snaps alongside Cam Brandt, who will also see an increased role in 2025.
“That game was honestly huge for me,” Nichols said. “Getting to play against Alabama is just a great opportunity, and especially Cam — it was good to get out there with him, the dude I’m playing with this year, just to get comfortable with each other.”
While Michigan likely has its two starters at edge with T.J. Guy and Derrick Moore, there’s plenty of room for Nichols and Brandt to step in behind them and see the field.
Nichols, though, is still refining his craft this spring in the hopes of becoming a more well-rounded player that can play on all three downs. He admitted he had deficiencies as a run defender when he first got to Michigan, but now that he’s put on some weight and has a year in college ball, he’s more confident in his abilities and is improving in that department.
“Stopping the run for sure — when I got here that was definitely an issue of mine,” Nichols said. “I got my weight up and now I’m strong holding the edge. I’m like 250 (pounds) right now.”
Putting on weight and becoming a stronger run defender was something Esposito mentioned last week as well as a priority for Nichols in his development.
While he still has some room to grow in the run game, Nichols already possesses plenty of talent as a pass rusher that he hopes to display this season. He mentioned his spin move as his favorite in his arsenal, and something that he observed in Guy when he first arrived on campus.
Learning from the older players and pulling bits and pieces from the games of previous Michigan stars is something he actively tries to incorporate in his development. He’s also encouraged by the strides made by Guy and Brandt in their careers, offering some hope that he can be a big contributor in short order.
“It was good to see (Guy and Brandt) get their stats this year. I’m looking to get in that rotation and get my minutes and have some good stats this year,” Nichols said.
Even with an environment that bodes well for young players to learn, Nichols acknowledged that high intensity and competition are at the forefront of spring practices this year. The intensity stems from ending the season on a high note with wins over Alabama and Ohio State . Those wins provided Nichols and the rest of the program with a real confidence that things can be even better in 2025.
“You go in feeling confident about yourself,” Nichols said about the start to the spring. “It’s easy to make plays when you’re confident and it’s hard to make plays when you’re not confident.”
As he enters his sophomore campaign, Nichols appears ready to step into the edge rotation. With the departure of Josaiah Stewart, there are snaps to go around, particularly for a player that relies on speed and athleticism like Nichols. Even with room to grow his game, 2025 could be the year we see flashes of what Nichols can truly do and why his position coach sees him as a “special player .”