Junior defensive end for Michigan. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′5″ · 255 lb · Frederick, MD · Oakdale
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he plays
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come.
QB hurries: 98th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1.5 sacks, 2.5 TFL, 9 tackles, vs Western Michigan
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior defensive end for Michigan. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Dominic Nichols
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come. Dominic Nichols has been at Michigan through three head coaches in three seasons. One game to point at: 9 tackles, 2.5 TFL against Western Michigan — Week 1, 2026.
11 TACKLES · 2 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Sherrone Moore, Biff Poggi, and Kyle Whittingham. Multi-era developmental context.
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 13-12vs Western Michigan | 9 | 4 | 2.5 | 1.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 17-10vs Oklahoma | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 52-17vs UTEP | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 5 | 4.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 17–10
vs Oklahoma
0.5 sacks · 0.5 tackles for loss · 1 tackles
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 at home.
With C. Brown — 42.3 yards per punt · 7 punts · 6 inside the 20 · B. Underwood — 111 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 74.4 · 87 rush yds (18 car) · 1 TD
Since week 2: +1 tackle for loss, +1 tackle.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: qb hurries (98th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (97th percentile). Concern: solo tackles (21st percentile).
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Sack rate
18%2 sacksTFL rate
36%4 TFLHurry rate
27%3 hurriesPressure-to-sack conversion
40%2 of 5 pressures11 tackles · 4 for loss · 2 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 3.7 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.7 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kyle Whittingham
Pass share
38.2%
66 pass / 107 run
Plays / game
57.7
3 games
Team sack rate
5.3%
76 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #8 of 8 Big Ten EDGEs
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Play style
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Austin Bryant’s 2016 season.
Matches Austin on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to James Pearce Jr.'s junior season at Tennessee (2024).
Matches James on
CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS CAREER HIGHS • Tackles: 3, 2x - last vs. Texas (Dec. 31, 2025) • Solos: 2, 5x - last vs. Texas (Dec. 31, 2025) • Asst: 1, 3x - last vs. Texas (Dec. 31, 2025) • TFLs: 1,0, 5x - last vs. Texas (Dec. 31, 2025) • Sacks: 1.0 - vs. New Mexico (Aug. 30, 2025) • Int.:…
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