Mississippi State pledge, Mizzou target Micah Nickerson's parents recognize role in blossoming recruitment
Micah Nickerson threw down dunks on the basketball court when a Louisiana football staffer walked into the gymnasium.
Moving back to his home state of Mississippi for his sophomore year of high school, Micah asked his mother, Bonnie Nickerson, to take him up to Magnolia (Miss.) South Pike to see the first football practice. The Cajuns got their eyes on Micah early into his growth, extending him his first offer during his junior season.
“Junior year, they actually thought Micah was a senior,” Bonnie said. “Once ULL offered, the offers just started coming in like that.”
Playing along side his brother his sophomore season, Micah started to catch the attention of college coaches for his quick strides in development. A Class of 2026 three-star edge rusher, Micah is now committed to play football at Mississippi State, a program he officially visited this summer.
While pledged to the Bulldogs, Micah has still fielded interest from other schools, especially in the SEC. Missouri, a program with knowledge of his ties to Columbia, extended an official offer this past week.
“For one, I think he could go either way,” said Micah’s father, Terry Nickerson Jr. “We’re really supporting him, whichever way he decides. … Although he has a commitment now with Mississippi State, at this point, I think Micah is just excited about the opportunities and the possibilities. So he’s really just up in the air about exactly what he wants to do.”
“Mississippi State is Micah’s dream school,” Bonnie added. “That’s what we talked about. … He’s excited about Mississippi State, very excited about that, but he’s not closed to opportunities to other schools. Because now Mizzou has offered, so now we’re looking at Alabama possibly coming or LSU possibly coming. So it’s a possibility, and we’re just trying to support him.”
Pulling back the reins
As excitement fills the family, Bonnie and Terry both recognized their role in keeping Micah grounded. Married at 18 years old, the two reflected on what the past 19 years looked like when seeing their son step into the limelight of an SEC recruitment.
“To look back and see our son do the things and go the places that we intend to go and do, it’s mind blowing,” Bonnie said. “I never imagined eating on the top floor of a Marriott just for football. I never imagined people calling me, saying we prepared your plane tickets. … The odds were against us all the way. Seeing the blessing of what we went through as our son is growing, it’s like, ‘OK, God, you had a bigger story for us.'”
Connections to Columbia
As an infant, Micah lived in Missouri for a few months before moving to Mississippi with his family for the majority of his life. He returned to the Show Me State in ninth grade and attended Columbia (Mo.) Hickman while living with his father.
Spendings holidays and summers in Missouri, Micah visited his father and other extended family members as well. His grandfather, Terry Nickerson Sr., served as a Columbia staple with Taxi Terry’s, which closed its doors in April 2022 after 13 years in the business.
“That’s when his exposure with Mizzou came about,” said Micah’s father, who has lived in Columbia for nine years now. “Prior to that, he’s had different occasions where he’s gone to the games, and my dad has some close connections with the Mizzou team and the coaches. That whole experience of being court side came about later in life for him.”
“(Edges coach Brian) Early and another recruiter, they know my pawpaw (grandfather) really well,” Micah added. “They said they found out about my pawpaw after they watched my film.”
Developing into an edge rusher
Dating back to elementary school, Micah held a passion for both basketball and football, but as he continued to grow, more opportunities presented themselves on the gridiron. By eighth grade, Micah hit a growth spurt, which turned a corner in his positional future.
Now standing 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, he has shown a knack for playing on both sides of the ball. Listed as an athlete in Mississippi, Micah has caught passes for South Pike, and that versatility dated back to his freshman season at Hickman.
“They’d do a play, and then Micah would like kill it in so many ways,” Micah’s father said. “And then they’d try that same play with him in the opposite position. And it was just that versatility that really, I think, empowered him to to be open-minded.”
“He got an interception, because he’s 6-foot-7,” added Bonnie, whose cousin, Sonny Davis, played for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1970s. “They were like, ‘Well, it’s a no-brainer. He’s taller than everybody out there. We need to get him to start catching.’ So that’s how he got into the receiver part.”
Discovering his speed off the edge, Micah has still stuck on the defensive side of the ball. Given his long wingspan and towering size, he garnered the attention of Missouri to play defensive end, while more schools might enter the same discussion this fall.