Oregon is still looking for its first linebacker in the 2023 class, and there’s no shortage of great options on the West Coast. One prospect they’ve had intensive talks with is linebacker Manteca (California). BlakeNichelson.
ducks digest met with the Nor Cal product at the ESPN Elite Underclassmen Camp this weekend.
The 6-foot-2, 212-pound supporter has been very busy on the recruiting path, recently making visits throughout the western region of Oregon, Oregon State, Cal, Utah and USC.
The Ducks hosted Nichelson for the spring game and made a solid impression on the 3-star prospect (.8820 per 247Sports Composite), giving him a solid feel for the Eugene game-day environment.
“It was great. It’s like going back there for the second time and just seeing it all again,” Nichelson said. “But even going to the spring game I got a sense of what a normal game there feels like with the fans and the overall atmosphere.”
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Manteca LB Blake Nichelson
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Two coaches on the Oregon staff, defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and inside linebackers coach Jake Long, have emerged as lead recruiters for the Ducks.
“They are definitely good people. I can really talk to them about anything, just overall,” he said. “You are easy to talk to and someone I can see as my coach as well as someone who could happily push me to do good. And obviously I know where they’re coming from. I know they can send people to the league too.”
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The Ducks see Nichelson as an inside linebacker in Dan Lanning’s defense, someone who took a personal approach and his recruiting and was able to spend significant time with on his recent trip to Eugene.
“Oh, he’s great,” he said of Lanning. “I’ve never had one of those head coaches like Dan Lanning, like he’s out there. When I went to my photo shoot he was out there taking the pictures. That has never happened to me.
“And then I just came over to my family — at night they had this one meeting, he just came up to my dad and started talking to him, just like normal things. So he’s definitely a relatable guy and just super nice dude.”
In addition to Oregon, four schools are parting ways as those recruiting Nichelson the hardest.
“I would probably say Nebraska, Oregon, Arizona State, Cal, and Florida State.”
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He has two official visits planned for June, but has a few other schools in mind to visit.
“I have officials scheduled for the states of Florida (June 17) and Oregon (June 24-26) at the moment,” Nichelson said. “I kind of want to go out there and look at either Nebraska or Washington or something.”
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A decision could be made later this summer.
“I’m not 100% sure yet, but I plan to commit before the season, around August or sometime there.”
The Seminoles have renewed energy on the recruiting path behind head coach Mike Norvell, who has emerged as Florida State’s lead recruiter in their search for the talented linebacker.
“I like the coaching team. Like Coach (Randy) Shannon, he’s another cool guy. He keeps calling me, texting me, checking on me. Coach (Mike) Norvell, he beats me quite a lot too. They just show me a lot of love over there too.”
With several important visits coming up in the near future, Nichelson is prioritizing development among other factors.
“I’ll say what matters most to me is probably the coaching staff,” he said. “Like if they show me a lot of love and I can relate to them - because of course I’ll be with them for four years. That’s something that’s important to me, but also somewhere where I’m evolving and just getting better overall.”
*WATCH BLAKE NICHELSON HIGHLIGHTS HERE*
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Oregon is still looking for its first linebacker in the 2023 class, and there’s no shortage of great options on the West Coast. One prospect they’ve had intensive talks with is linebacker Manteca (California). BlakeNichelson. Subscribe to the full article
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