Signee Breakdown: Addison Nichols

The early signing period is officially in the books, and Josh Heupel's program signed 20 players on December 15th. In this series, the Volunteer Country on Sports Illustrated staff share their full breakdown of each player, complete with bio, former Tennessee player and current NFL player comparisons, and what the Tennessee coaches had to say about each respective signee. Please keep in mind the NFL player comparisons are just a fun look at the potential upsides of each player and are not meant to set lofty expectations or indicate a career trajectory. 

BIO

Addison Nichols

Offensive Lineman

Greater Atlanta Christian HS (GA)

6’5 320lbs

What the Coaches Said

Alex Golesh: "Just an incredible young man. Has a bunch of different interests and we are looking that Tennessee and football are two of those. Just absolutely incredible football player. Size, toughness, smart, all the things you are looking for in an offensive lineman. Just the ability to finish plays, he finishes on top of people. Really, really aggressive in the run game. Really good in the pass game. Really about as ready of an offensive lineman as you will find in terms of mentally prepared to come in and play. Comes from a great program at GAC down in Atlanta and has won a ton of football games and competed at a really high level. We had a chance to watch Addison work out this summer, and everything you saw on that junior film showed up in that workout this summer and even better. Again, highly intelligent, really motivated young man. Got interests outside of football, which is refreshing and exciting in a lot of ways. Really, really fascinated by what we do on offense. Really fascinated by how Coach Elarbee can help him get to where he wants to go. Man oh man, it was a huge win for us early in recruiting that set a bunch of momentum for us offensively."

Volunteer Country’s Take:

Nichols was a summer commitment for this staff and a huge win for Josh Heupel and Offensive Line coach Glen Elarbee. He was someone that was not only recruited by this staff but also the previous. These efforts, plus the family ties with his mother attending the university, his grandparents residing in Knoxville, and being around the program in his childhood, it only made sense to most that Nichols would eventually end up a Vol as well. Other major Power 5 programs did not make it easy for Tennessee, however. USC especially made him a heavy priority, but he ultimately decided to stay closer to home. 

This commitment was huge for Tennessee down the stretch as he is currently the 2nd highest ranked commit in the class on most sites, only behind Tyre West. He was one of the centerpieces and a guy that helped recruit others to join him in Knoxville. On the field, Nichols is a versatile player that can play at both tackle and guard at the collegiate level. He played offensive tackle and defensive end for GAC, and on film, you see a very agile and athletic player for his size. He has a mean streak on the field and is always looking for contact. A big-time finisher that always plays through the whistle.

NFL Player Comparison: Taylor Moton

The Panthers offensive tackle is similar to Nichols in stature at 6’5 325, both players are far more athletic than their size indicates and aren’t your prototypical frame for a right tackle. Most NFL teams are looking for taller guys in the 6’6-6’8 range to play those tackle positions, moving shorter linemen inside. Carolina likes to use Moton as a lead blocker for runs in open space, and we could see Tennessee using Nichols in a very similar fashion on run plays. Nichols could very easily play right tackle in the SEC and maybe even the NFL if he develops to that point, but he also has the versatility to move inside if needed.