RADAR ’26: Michigan State extends offer to rising Davison offensive lineman, Ben Nichols

Michigan State is gearing up for one of the biggest recruiting weekends of the year with four prospects ranked in the Top 125 of the On3 Industry Rankings. With all of that going on, it hasn’t stopped the Spartans from looking further into the future.

Late Monday afternoon, Michigan State offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic extended a scholarship offer to Davison (Mich.) High School offensive lineman Ben Nichols. Nichols, who will graduate in 2026, will be a sophomore at Davison this fall.

The Spartans offered Nichols just five days after he participated in Michigan State’s prospect camp last Wednesday.

“It felt pretty amazing to get the offer from a great school,” Nichols said. “Seeing the look on my parents’ faces was the best part. It was really exciting for all of us.”

Nichols’ mother was deeply moved. 

“She started crying,” Nichols said. “Mom is a little emotional. I gave everybody a hug. It was a pretty cool moment.”

How did Nichols feel? 

“I was kind of speechless at first,” he said. “I was sitting in the garage and I wanted to go tell my mom and dad right away. But I was pretty speechless.”

And surprised.

“I was told to call Coach Kap, and I got his number so I called him up real quick and we had a nice little conversation,” Nichols said. “I wasn’t sure (what it was going to be about). I thought maybe it would be, ‘Come back for a visit.’ Or ‘Come back for camp.’”

Instead, it was about a scholarship offer – Nichols’ first from a Power Five school.

“Coach Kap was just talking about he had talked to my coaches and said that he told them that they (Michigan State) love the path that I’m on and they think I would fit in really great,” Nichols said. “We talked about my family a little bit and they just like where I’m at.”

Michigan State became the third FBS offer for Nichols. He also has offers from Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan, plus an earlier offer from Saginaw Valley State.

Kapilovic has made a strong impression so far on Nichols. He is planning to make a return trip to East Lansing this fall.

“I can’t wait to get back there for a game,” Nichols said. “Coach Kap is an amazing coach who wants the best for everyone that plays for him. He’s been a really great guy to me so far and I can’t wait to keep building that relationship.”

Nichols will camp at Michigan on Wednesday. He camped at Notre Dame and Northwestern earlier this month.  

Nichols knows his camp performance at Michigan State last week helped lead to the Spartans’ scholarship offer on Monday. 

“I think them seeing me in person was really the defining factor,” he said. 

His impression with Michigan State is strong, too. 

“It’s a very nice place,” Nichols said. “I love the facilities. They have a great vibe there.”

THE BOOK ON NICHOLS

Nichols (6-5, 320) has the thickness of a college veteran, with tree trunks for legs. And he moves well. Freshman linemen who already have college size often lack college-level quickness. Nichols isn’t ready to protect the edge at the Big Ten level, of course, but he isn’t lacking in quickness, especially for someone as young as he is. 

Nichols’ quickness is on display when he executes hinge blocks as a backside tackle on power runs to the opposite site. When the offensive guard next to Nichols pulls, Nichols’ job is to hinge inside and fill the space created by the pull guard’s departure. Nichols repeatedly shows the ability to close that gap with quick feet and the ability to stay low. 

“Gotta look B gap on that hinge block and then get right back to your end,” Nichols said. “Just having my coaches teach me things like that, and repping it every day makes me better, and I got better and better at it as time went on.”

He’s just beginning to scratch the surface of the things he’ll likely be able to do as a powerful, mobile offensive tackle at the high school level. 

Nichols says he weighed about 325 last fall. He was up to 335 six weeks ago, but is down to 320.

“I’m just trying to lose all the baby fat and gain strength and muscle but continuing to stay fit and quick, and not just lifting every single day but also working hard on footwork, more positional skills,” he said. “So I’m not just getting big, I’m still staying quick and active.

“Coach Kap said to just keep on the path I’m on and he believes I’m going to produce great sophomore film.”

(Jim Comparoni contributed to this report). 

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