Missouri flips Rivals 4-star EDGE Micah Nickerson away from Mississippi State

Magnolia (Miss.) South Pike four-star EDGE Micah Nickerson has flipped his commitment from Mississippi State to Missouri.

The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder had been pledged to the Bulldogs since June, when he chose them over Southern Miss, Tulane, Virginia, Louisiana. A little over a month later though, the Tigers extended him an offer and kept in contact with him throughout the fall.

He took an official visit to Columbia the weekend of September 20 and ultimately has flipped to the Tigers, a program he has familiarity with after spending his first year of high school at nearby Hickman (Mo.).

Nickerson is the No. 696 overall prospect and No. 71 edge rusher in the 2026 class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.

Rivals, however, is much higher on him than the other two services. In the most recent Rivals300 rankings update, he was tabbed as the country’s No. 151 overall prospect and No. 20 EDGE.

“Nickerson is someone who we have always had on the radar due to his production and raw athletic ability,” Rivals National Scout Cody Bellaire said. “So far as a senior, he continues to be productive getting after the quarterback and is still flying off the snap. But he looks like he’s added some mass throughout his frame and still has the sensational burst that scares the bejeezus out of offensive tackles. He still has some rawness in his hand usage and pass rush, but his physical and athletic gifts continue to jump off the screen.” 

Across his last two full seasons at the high school level, Nickerson has totaled 71 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. So far this season, he has notched 18 tackles, 6 TFLs and three sacks across four games.

With Nickerson in the fold, the Tigers are up to 12 commitments in the 2026 class and are poised to chase some more flips over the next few months.