Notre Dame football continues attracting talented offensive lineman from all over, and the latest is as physically dominant as you’ll find
When you think of Notre Dame football, you almost instantly think about the offensive line play. Names like Quenton Nelson, Zach Martin, Mike McGlinchey, and Ronnie Stanley will quickly come to mind. The history of the big fellas up front resonates through Fighting Irish fandom. Physicality, aggressiveness, intensity, and dominance, all adjectives you think of […]
When you think of Notre Dame football, you almost instantly think about the offensive line play. Names like Quenton Nelson, Zach Martin, Mike McGlinchey, and Ronnie Stanley will quickly come to mind. The history of the big fellas up front resonates through Fighting Irish fandom.
Physicality, aggressiveness, intensity, and dominance, all adjectives you think of when describing offensive lineman for Notre Dame. The Irish added a player who fits that billing on Tuesday when 2026 Davison (Mich.) High School offensive lineman Ben Nichols opted for Notre Dame over finalists Penn State, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
Nichols is one of the more dominant offensive lineman in the 2026 class, who had also been pursued by a long list of impressive schools. Outside of his finalists, the Michigan native also held offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas, Illinois, Purdue, and Cincinnati among several others.
The 6-5, 315-pound behemoth is also well regarded from a recruiting ranking perspective. On3, ESPN, and Rivals all rank Nichols as a four-star player. On3 does rank him the highest, currently pegged as the No. 207 overall player, No. 17 interior offensive lineman, and No. 2 player in the state of Michigan for the 2026 recruiting class.
Nichols’ junior film is borderline unfair. He has the look of an offensive lineman much older, and a game that took a major step forward in terms of refinement. While Nichols plays offensive tackle on the high school level, he has the look of a guard in college. That’s where his nasty demeanor and natural play strength can really take over.
