DeCarlos Nicholson, Mississippi State Cornerback, transfers to USC

It just was not meant to be. Mississippi State cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson announced he is transferring to USC on National Signing Day. The graduate transfer has one year of eligibility remaining.

This is the second time in three years some expected to hear Nicholson’s name announced as a Kentucky Wildcat. Fate intervened.

A sought after junior college prospect, he spent quite a bit of time committed to Kentucky. Then as National Signing Day drew near in 2021, Mississippi State entered the picture and convinced Nicholson to make the move to Starkville.

Fast forward to last month, many believed he would make a quick move to Lexington. Nicholson returned for the second time as a Kentucky official visitor. There was some buzz that he may commit right after leaving Lexington. Things grew quiet, then the chatter kicked back up Tuesday night. That also turned out to be lip-service as Nicholson opted to play for Lincoln Riley at USC.

Everybody going the same route I switched up my route!✌🏾🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/GJgZVj5go1

— DeCarlos Nicholson (@Dee2nich) December 21, 2023

A high school quarterback, Nicholson switched to the defensive side of the line of scrimmage in junior college. In 2021 he broke up 16 passes to get on the radar of multiple Power Five programs.

During his first year in Starkville, Nicholson primarily played on special teams. He carved out a much more significant role for Zach Arnett’s defense in 2023. He started in seven games and played just under 500 defensive snaps. Nicholson finished the season with 42 tackles, 2.0 for loss and two pass breakups. In the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss Nicholson logged a career-high eight tackles.

What Does This Mean for Kentucky?

Don’t sweat this, Big Blue Nation. “I cannot believe Lincoln Riley keeps poaching our recruits!” is not a real thing. Kentucky is playing a numbers game and when push came to shove, they’re betting on others to play cornerback.

During this cycle the Wildcats made multiple years of eligibility an important part of their evaluation process in the transfer portal. There were culture problems within the program, a byproduct of deploying multiple one-year mercenaries.

The only one-year player they added was an All-American in the SEC. Nicholson started half the season for one of the worst pass defenses in the SEC. Instead of bringing him to Kentucky, they’ll lean into the former four-stars they previously pulled from the transfer portal — JQ Hardaway and Jantzen Dunn — and one of their best high school signees, Terhyon Nichols.

The courtship between Kentucky and DeCarlos Nicholson was certainly something.

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