4-star '24 cornerback Terhyon Nichols commits to Kentucky

Make that two #Yahtzees in two days for the Kentucky football program.

On Sunday night, four-star class of 2024 cornerback Terhyon Nichols announced his commitment to the Wildcats. The Cincinnati (OH) Withrow product chose Kentucky over a list of finalists that also included Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati. Nichols, who clocks in at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, made the decision at his high school in front of friends and family.

“It was pretty tight as I was just trying to find that fit,” Nichols told On3’s Chad Simmons. “I feel like Kentucky just sealed the deal for me. It came down to me just thinking over it after taking all of my official visits. I went home and thought about the pros, cons and where I can achieve my goals of making it to the NFL and get a degree. Kentucky checked all of my boxes.”

According to the On3 Industry Ranking, Nichols, who also visited UK during Junior Day in January, is considered the No. 268 overall rising senior in the country and a top 10 player from the state of Ohio. He is the 12th pledge for Kentucky in this cycle and joins four-star linebacker Elijah Groves, who announced on Saturday morning, as the other commitment for the Wildcats from this weekend.

Nichols took official visits to four of his six finalists, first stopping at Kentucky (June 5-7) before heading to Pittsburgh (June 9-11), Penn State (June 16-18), and Michigan (June 23-25). He unofficially visited Ohio State, which offered him in early May, multiple times as well. Nichols was even extended an offer from Alabama in June and also visited the program unofficially, but the Crimson Tide ultimately did not make his top schools list.

“Coach (Mark) Stoops is very transparent as well so that’s a plus,” Nichols said. “I really like transparency where they keep it 100% real. That really stood out to me and his DB wall is very hefty. I like that he’s a DB guy as a head coach.”

Of Kentucky’s 12 commits, Nichols is the first true defensive back added to the group and the second-highest-rated prospect overall. Only QB Cutter Boley (No. 137 in the On3 Industry Ranking) is slotted above Nichols, who is the highest-ranked DB to pick UK in the Mark Stoops era.

The Wildcats’ 2024 class continues to gain momentum with Nichols now in the fold.