This Gamecock was about to get a big break, but he kept it quiet, even from family
South Carolina offensive lineman Jaylen Nichols is known as a quiet individual. He’s a large, physical presence, a well-liked player, but not necessarily a big talker.
Last week, just before the first break of his college career, that quietness meant not even giving a heads up to some family members.
“His brother’s a sophomore who starts at guard for us,” said Scott Chadwick, Nichols’ high school coach at Myers Park. “I said something to his brother on Monday about, ‘Man, why don’t you tell me your brother was starting on Saturday?’ And he’s like, ‘I had no idea.’ Jaylen didn’t tell anybody in his family, didn’t say anything, didn’t want anybody to know, kind of wanted it to be a surprise for his family when they got to the game.”
Nichols started for the Gamecocks at right tackle against Kentucky. True freshmen starting on the offensive line is a rarity, but Nichols had proven himself quickly after enrolling early. When starter Dylan Wonnum suffered an ankle injury, one that will keep him out a month, Nichols got the call.
Chadwick had a little wind that Nichols might see some reps, as two of his assistants have ties to South Carolina and happened to be in the building. Chadwick had tried to text about it, but he didn’t get a response until after the game.
“He was real excited,” Chadwick said. “He had some ups and downs during the game, but for for a true freshman making his first start against a very, very good defensive football team, I thought he handled himself very well. And talking to the coaches there, they felt the same. They were real pleased with how he played.”
For the folks back in Charlotte, it was a big thing, especially at Myers Park High School. Nichols helped lead the team to a 13-2 record last season, starting at right tackle (their left tackle also went to an FBS school) and playing some defense. He was a somewhat underrated recruit as a three-star not considered among the top 1,000 players in the country in the 247Sports Composite ranking.
This year, the Mustangs are 5-0 with a roster that includes Alabama-bound QB Drake Maye, Texas A&M receiver commit Muhsin Muhammad III, N.C. State commit Porter Rooks and North Carolina pledge Cameron Roseman-Sinclair.
Nichols had made enough of an impression early that he was a second-string lineman his first college practice, not an easy thing to do.
“I think he had an adjustment period when he got there in January,” Chadwick said. “But I think it was after spring practice, coach (Eric) Wolford visited our school and kind of told me that, look, he’s gonna be in the mix. And I think they just kind of felt like he had a really, really good spring and that he was going to be a guy that was going to be a strong depth guy for them. And sure enough.”
His athleticism helped him translate quickly. Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said Nichols “fit” on the field from the start and boasted some more nuanced skills such as his punch.
His spot in the short term is interesting because of where things stack up on USC’s line. Wonnum will be out three to four more weeks, which means two to three more games for Nichols. After this year, Wonnum has two more years of eligibility and starting left tackle Sadarius Hutcherson has one. Both starting guards are also set to return (Hutcherson started at guard last year). So barring injury, there’s not necessarily a spot opening until 2021.
But Nichols isn’t the type to say too much about any of that.
“At this point, any reps he can get and any playing time he can get as a true freshman is very, very valuable,” Chadwick said. “And I think only serves to make him that much better in the future. However long he’s in there, my message to him is, value that opportunity and take full advantage of it as long as long as it comes.”