Keith Nichol
Encyclopedia
Keith Nichol is a wide receiver
for the Michigan State Spartans
college football team. He previously played for the Oklahoma Sooners
.
in Lowell, Michigan
. After a good freshman season, Nichol was promoted to the varsity team for the playoffs and saw some playing time as a cornerback in a blowout
. Nichol had a breakout season as a sophomore. He threw for 2,125 yards and 26 touchdowns in Lowell's veer
offense and led the team to a state championship. His success led to him being heavily recruited by several teams in the Big Ten Conference
as well as the University of Notre Dame
. In July 2005, Nichol committed to play for the Michigan State University
Spartans
. Nichol also participated in the ESPN RISE Elite 11
quarterback camp. After his commitment, the Spartans went 9-14 and head coach John L. Smith
was fired. As a result, Nichol backed out of his committed with the Spartans and committed to the University of Oklahoma
, a school that expressed strong interest in him after his decommitment. In his senior year, Nichol passed for 2,225 yards and 31 touchdowns. As a three-year starter, Nichol won 33 games with three losses. He passed for 6,550 yards and 76 touchdowns and ran for 3,100 yards and 58 touchdowns in his high school career. He was an all-state selection three times. Nichol was ranked as the sixth best dual-threat quarterback in the country out of high school by Rivals.com
. Scout.com
ranked him the 22nd best high school quarterback overall.
and junior Joey Halzle for the starting quarterback position during spring practices in 2007. After a scrimmage game, Bradford was named the starter. During the year, Nichol was the third-string quarterback, playing in three games and completing two of seven passes for 15 yards. After the season, Nichol transferred to Michigan State, the school he had originally committed to while back in high school. By National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) rule, Nichol had to sit out the 2008 season.
for the starting quarterback position. Cousins started the first game with Nichol receiving playing time in which he threw two touchdown passes in a victory over the Montana State Bobcats. On October 10, 2009, Nichol made his first career start against the Illinois Fighting Illini
. He completed 13 of 25 passes for 179 yards and one interception in a victory. In preparation for the 2010 Alamo Bowl, Nichol changed over to the wide-receiver position, catching two passes for 11 yards and also scored his first career rushing touchdown against the Red Raiders, with a 7-yard run out of the wildcat formation in the third quarter.
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State Spartans
The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic team that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 25 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white...
college football team. He previously played for the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners
The University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
.
High school career
Nichol attended Lowell High SchoolLowell High School (Michigan)
Lowell High School is a coeducation public school located in Lowell, Michigan. The current principal for Lowell High School is Patricia Murphy-Alderman....
in Lowell, Michigan
Lowell, Michigan
Lowell is a city in Kent County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4,013. The city is in the northern portion of Lowell Township, but is politically independent...
. After a good freshman season, Nichol was promoted to the varsity team for the playoffs and saw some playing time as a cornerback in a blowout
Blowout (sports)
A blowout is an easy or one-sided victory. It occurs when one athletic team or individual performer outscores another by a large margin or in such a fashion that allows the second team or individual little chance of a victory from a point early in a competition, game, contest or event...
. Nichol had a breakout season as a sophomore. He threw for 2,125 yards and 26 touchdowns in Lowell's veer
Veer
The Veer is an option running play often associated with option offenses in American football, made famous at the collegiate level by the Houston Cougars. It is currently run primarily on the high school level, with some usage at the collegiate and the professional level with varying degrees of...
offense and led the team to a state championship. His success led to him being heavily recruited by several teams in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
as well as the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. In July 2005, Nichol committed to play for the Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
Spartans
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
. Nichol also participated in the ESPN RISE Elite 11
ESPN RISE Elite 11
ESPN RISE’s Elite 11 is the nation’s premier quarterback competition for prep athletes - a four-day event in Southern California. Elite 11 quarterbacks are selected through an exhaustive evaluation process; with more than 1,000 quarterbacks evaluated annually from 12 Nike Football Training Camps...
quarterback camp. After his commitment, the Spartans went 9-14 and head coach John L. Smith
John L. Smith
John L. Smith is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the special teams coach at the University of Arkansas, under head coach Bobby Petrino...
was fired. As a result, Nichol backed out of his committed with the Spartans and committed to the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, a school that expressed strong interest in him after his decommitment. In his senior year, Nichol passed for 2,225 yards and 31 touchdowns. As a three-year starter, Nichol won 33 games with three losses. He passed for 6,550 yards and 76 touchdowns and ran for 3,100 yards and 58 touchdowns in his high school career. He was an all-state selection three times. Nichol was ranked as the sixth best dual-threat quarterback in the country out of high school by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
. Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
ranked him the 22nd best high school quarterback overall.
Freshman season
Nichol competed against redshirt freshman Sam BradfordSam Bradford
Samuel Jacob "Sam" Bradford is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and played college football at Oklahoma. In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a...
and junior Joey Halzle for the starting quarterback position during spring practices in 2007. After a scrimmage game, Bradford was named the starter. During the year, Nichol was the third-string quarterback, playing in three games and completing two of seven passes for 15 yards. After the season, Nichol transferred to Michigan State, the school he had originally committed to while back in high school. By National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) rule, Nichol had to sit out the 2008 season.
Sophomore season
Before the 2009 season, Nichol competed against sophomore Kirk CousinsKirk Cousins
-College career:In 2007, newly hired Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio recruited Cousins to play for the Spartans. Cousins was redshirted for the 2007 season. In 2008, he spent the season as the back up quarterback to Brian Hoyer. He played in five games passing for a total of 310 yards and...
for the starting quarterback position. Cousins started the first game with Nichol receiving playing time in which he threw two touchdown passes in a victory over the Montana State Bobcats. On October 10, 2009, Nichol made his first career start against the Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Fighting Illini are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The University offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports....
. He completed 13 of 25 passes for 179 yards and one interception in a victory. In preparation for the 2010 Alamo Bowl, Nichol changed over to the wide-receiver position, catching two passes for 11 yards and also scored his first career rushing touchdown against the Red Raiders, with a 7-yard run out of the wildcat formation in the third quarter.
Junior season
Was an Academic All-Big Ten selection and appeared in all 13 games in 2010, including eight starts. Ranked fifth on the team with 22 receptions for 262 yards (11.9 avg.), caught at least one pass in 11 games, and also completed 4-of-7 passes for 62 yards and two scores. With Kirk Cousins and Andrew Maxwell sidelined with injuries vs. No. 15 Alabama in the 2011 Capital One Bowl, he took snaps at quarterback in the fourth quarter and hit 2-of-5 throws for 56 yards, including a 49-yard TD strike to Bennie Fowler, Keith also had three catches for 22 yards against the Crimson Tide. His 3-yard TD toss to Charlie Gantt with 8:31 left in the fourth quarter at Penn State gave MSU a 28-10 lead and proved to be the game winner as the Spartans held on for a 28-22 victory to clinch a share of the 2010 Big Ten Championship, caught three passes for 19 yards vs. Purdue, and set career highs in receptions (4) and receiving yards (51) at Northwestern, including two catches for 34 yards on MSU's game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. His career-long 42-yard grab from Cousins at No. 18 Michigan set up Larry Caper's 8-yard TD run late in the third quarter, hauled in three passes for 30 yards vs. No. 11 Wisconsin, caught two passes for 32 yards in the season opener vs. Western Michigan, including his first career TD reception, a 20-yard grab from Cousins early in the second quarter. Made the transition from quarterback to wide receiver during Alamo Bowl practice and continued to take reps with the first team throughout the spring of 2010.External links
- Nichol Bio at official web-site of Michigan State Spartans Football
- Nichol Recruiting Profile at Rivals.comRivals.comRivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...