Dom Nichols is quickly making a claim to be Michigan's next great pass rusher

Dom Nichols quietly made his way through fall camp, earning some buzz going into the 2026 season with Michigan. However, in his third season with the Wolverines, his first as a real starter, Nichols is suddenly making a claim to be Michigan's top pass rusher and potentially the best overall defensive player.

In just two games to start the season, Nichols has 10 total tackles, four solo tackles, two sacks, three tackles for a loss, and 11 quarterback pressures. With heavy hitters like John Henry Daley and Enow Etta on the defensive line, Nichols has carved out a spot as one of the best pass rushers for the Wolverines, leading the defense in sacks and tied for the lead in tackles for a loss.

Michigan has seen its fair share of great pass rushers, from Aidan Hutchinson to Brandon Graham, and Nichols could be playing his way into the conversation with the greats. Now, this may be a bit of an overreaction only two games into the season, but it's not like Michigan has played two FCS cupcake teams; they have taken on the 2025 MAC Champion Western Michigan Broncos and the Oklahoma Sooners.

Nichols now has to show consistency throughout the season to be in the conversation as the next great Michigan pass rusher, but with the way he is going now, it isn't a crazy thought to have.

Dom Nichols could be playing his way into being a first-round NFL draft pick

Let's face it, the Michigan offense still has a lot of work to do. But while they continue to figure things out, the Michigan defense is easily holding it down. If it wasn't for the excellent play of the defense that kept Western Michigan out of the end zone for the 40+ minutes it was on the field, the Wolverines would never have had a chance to win that game, and Nichols led the charge.

The offense looked marginally better against Oklahoma, but Michigan's defense gave Sooners quarterback John Mateer trouble all day long, led by the efforts of Nichols, who got in the backfield more times than others on the defensive line.

John Henry Daley had himself a game against Oklahoma as well, and that ended up opening opportunities for Nichols in return. Sure, he had the facemask penalty on the Sooners' lone touchdown drive, but that was more because of Mateer trying to miss the tackle and Nichols' hand getting caught on his helmet as he ducked down.

Even when Nichols isn't recording stats like sacks or tackles for a loss, he is getting into the quarterback's face, making life harder for the offense as a whole. If Nichols continues at his current pace he is on now, he is currently on pace to end the season with 12 sacks and 18 tackles for a loss, which would be more than Michigan's sack leader, Derrick Moore, in 2025, who finished with 10.

That would be a huge jump for Nichols, who had just 19 total tackles, 14 solo tackles, and one sack last season. He is already on pace to surpass those numbers by a large margin and could be playing his way into being a top NFL draft pick.

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