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BREAKING: Miami Hurricanes add UAB transfer TE Jack Nickel, brother of 4-star QB signee Luke Nickel

Stephen Wagner covers recruiting for the University of Miami for On3 Sports and CaneSport. He can be found on Twitter at @stephenwag22 and reached at Stephen.Wagner@On3.com.by:Stephen Wagner•about 13 hours•

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Jack Nickel UAB-Miami
(Photo credit Jack Nickel/X)

Miami has added UAB transfer tight end Jack Nickel, the older brother of 2025 Hurricanes quarterback signee Luke Nickel, through the transfer portal.

Miami will become Jack’s third school after signing with Michigan State as a member of the 2022 class, transferring to UAB in spring 2024 and entering the transfer portal again in December. Jack will join the Hurricanes as a redshirt sophomore on scholarship, and he played sparingly at Michigan State before appearing in 12 games for the Blazers this fall largely as a blocking tight end. The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder caught one pass for six yards this fall.

Interestingly, Jack was offered by Mario Cristobal out of high school as well as by Manny Diaz’s Miami staff at that time.

This will be Jack and Luke’s first time playing together since Luke’s freshman year at Milton (Ga.) — Jack’s senior year — in 2021. Jack was a three-time all-state tight end in Georgia’s largest high school football classification and an On3 Industry Ranking three-star recruit coming out of high school when he committed to play for Mel Tucker at Michigan State, although Tucker was fired for cause midway through his second season at MSU.

Luke, who will enroll at Miami this month, received a Michigan State offer as a high school freshman but committed to the Hurricanes roughly 16 months ago. Luke is the No. 103 overall prospect and No. 13 quarterback in the 2025 high school class according to the On300.

Jack’s addition comes after Miami previously added 10 other players through the portal in WR CJ Daniels, TE Alex Bauman, OL James Brockermeyer, DT David Blay, CB Charles Brantley, CB Emmanuel Karnley, CB Ethan O’Connor, S Zechariah Poyser, PK/KO specialist Carter Davis and LS Adam Booker

Jack was the No. 633 overall prospect and No. 37 tight end as a high school recruit in the On3 Industry Ranking.

CaneSport’s Take

Looking beyond the obvious storyline and narrative about the Nickel brothers reuniting at Miami, Jack looks like a sound replacement for departing ninth-year senior Cam McCormick, who made his mark as a veteran run-blocking tight end who saw his share of snaps. He’ll join a tight end room full of young talent like sophomore Elijah Lofton and the Hurricanes’ two 2025 signees, plus Tulane addition Alex Bauman. Veteran tight end Elijah Arroyo is heading to the NFL while former four-star 2023 signee Riley Williams has already entered the portal, so there could be opportunities for a player like Jack to work his way up the depth chart.

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