2010 Spartan Nation Football Profile: Keith Nichol WR/QB #7

 Expectation: Starting X receiver and backup QB  Height:  6’2”  Weight: 226  2010 Eligibility: Junior  EXP: 1 Letter Â

 

Expectation:Â Starting X receiver and backup QB

 

Height:  6’2”

 

Weight:Â 226

 

2010 Eligibility: Junior 

 

EXP:Â 1 Letter

 

Status:Â Starting X with high potential.

 

Strengths: Nichol physically is a freak of nature. He is strong and he loves the punishment that Coach Mannie hands out. He has great hands, great leaping ability, great speed and agility. He can do it all. He made catches in bowl practices and in the spring that made coaches and players alike stop. His freakish ability is only enhanced by his tremendous character and will.

 

We will look at the Alamo Bowl for examples of his play at WR since it is the only game in 2009 he played it at. With the Spartans facing a second and three in the first quarter at their own 38, Nichol shined in the intangibles of what a great receiver has to do. With 13:40 on the clock he made a devastating block that allowed Keshawn Martin go get free in space for a nineteen-yard gain and the first down.  First reaction, most people see Kmart’s play and not the ability and willingness of Nichol to make it happen.

 

He can make all the catches, but it is his intangible talent and willingness that could make him a top echelon player in the Big Ten in 2010. 

 

Weakness: The only weakness Nichol has is experience. Roy Rogers, the fame Hollywood Cowboy and actor, used to say that the best thing for a good horse is a wet saddle blanket. What he meant is experience. The same is true with athletes like Nichol. You can’t point to improvement in the weight room or film room, because he does all of it. You can’t talk about a commitment detail; he is the poster child. It truly is going to be game reps.

 

Here is an example of that from the Alamo Bowl again. Facing a second and nine in the first quarter, at the Texas Tech 47 with 12:20 on the clock, Nichol made a lack of experience mistake. He dove at the feet of the man he was supposed to block, he should have engaged him and locked him up. His failure to engage was a tactical mistake. Nichol tried to make a monster play rather than be content to make the simple and more effective play. That is experience and a student of the game like Nichol will have no problem learning that technique issue.

 

Final Analysis: If Cousins were to get injured early and the Spartans needed a long-term replacement, Nichol would get the call. He is the starting X WR and with the gigantic expectations on him there, he is getting almost all of his time dedicated to WR.

 

I fully expect at the end of the 2010 season for Nichol to be considered among the best in the league. He will struggle at times because he is learning something new, but with some actual game reps he will be a game changer. If for no other reason then he will will himself to it.

 

Nichol could have gotten angry or bitter when Kirk Cousins beat him out for the starting job as the MSU pro style QB, but he didn’t. I am close to Nichol and he never once, on or off the record, was bitter. He was supportive of Kirk and proud of him. His attitude won him a lot of respect and his talent and work ethic will take him the rest of the way.

 

He just wants to play the game he loves and he will at a high level in 2010.

 

Coming up next:Â DB Trenton Robinson