Coach's take on Miami Hurricanes 2025 four-star QB commit: "Luke Nickel will perform at a very high level for Shannon Dawson"
Over the last 12 months, Miami Hurricanes Milton (Ga.) four-star 2025 quarterback and Miami commit Luke Nickel has solidified himself as one of the best gunslingers in the country.
After a strong junior season where he threw for 3,914 yards and 39 touchdowns and helped his Milton squad win a state championship in Georgia’s highest classification, Nickel lifted the Battle Miami 7v7 trophy and was named one of the top quarterbacks at the Elite 11 camp to end the summer.
Two games into his senior season, Nickel has continued to impress with wins over a pair of top-25 high school programs, Buford and American Heritage. With the bulk of Milton’s schedule ahead, Eagle offensive coordinator Stevie Jackson believes Nickel has what it takes to lead the program to a second consecutive state title.
“I think it’s that leadership and maturity,” Jackson said when asked where he believes Nickel’s game has grown the most over the last 12 months. “He’s always been a leader, but now it’s ‘Follow me’. It’s ‘Get on my back and let’s go’. And times that’s been the case in the past, but it’s every single snap now.
“The confidence he gives the rest of the players out there, you see. He makes mistakes like everyone else, but he moves on fast. Nothing phases that kid. I think that’s the biggest piece that he comes into, and you’re seeing it on a more consistent basis. Our quarterback is a war daddy. He’s very tough and a winner.”
In Milton’s 37-28 win over American Heritage, Nickel threw for two touchdowns, including the game-winner late in the fourth quarter, to seal the Eagles win over the Patriots.
“That call, I knew Luke would make that happen for me, whether the other team figured that out or not,” Jackson said. “I knew that we could take chances because he protects the ball, he knows when he can take a chance, and he knows when he has to move the offense. We saw his legs tonight, he was throwing to the boundaries against some really tough guys and to the field against some really good guys. This team fights for Luke Nickel, and as long as he’s around, we’ll keep seeing that.”
With Nickel, who is the No. 238 overall prospect in the 2025 class according to the On3 Industry Ranking Coral Gables bound in December, after visiting Miami and speaking with multiple staff members, including Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, in the spring, Jackson believes Miami is the perfect place for Nickel to thrive.
“The first thing I told you when I was down here this spring was, ‘Oh man, I get it,’,” Jackson explained. “The vibe around the locker room is great there, the campus is much different than I thought it would be, and watching coach Dawson in the meeting rooms solidified what I thought.
“Luke Nickel will perform at a very high level for Shannon Dawson. He’s going to trust him and like the way he coaches. He’s attracted some players to now, and if he can get down here and some of the other kids around the country come with him, there’s a big future down here.”
