Nicholson is a big-time player. He is a three-star recruit who is the No. 1068 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 71 running back in the nation. He is also the No. 17 player in the state of Illinois as well. The fact he is right around the top 1000 and is an in-state product is important for the Illini. It was also important that he cut his list and kept Illinois alive as well.
There were some pretty big names in the top 10 list Nicholson posted back on February 11. The 10 teams who made the cut were Toledo, Miami (OH), Oklahoma State, Indiana, Michigan State, Boston College, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois.