2015 Texas Longhorns Football Recruiting: Horns land JUCO OT Tristan Nickelson

Joe Wickline grabbed a commitment from a massive, raw prospect, loading up again on an OL developmental bench that had degraded massively under previous management.

Proud to be a member of the longhorn family! #HookEm #UT

— Tristan Nickelson (@Tristan_OT75) November 9, 2014

Tristan Nickelson is an interesting project - he was lightly recruited out of high school, attended a prep school for a year and then hit the JUCO route for a year.  So he's technically a 2013 recruit.  Texas took him from Iowa State and while Nickelson is a clear two star project with the athletic ability that suggests, interest from Joe Wickline is a pretty good indication that there's something there worth taking a shot on.  Nickelson is a legit 6-8, still hasn't grown into his body (he's actually put together pretty well, but hasn't hit the weights hard enough yet) and while unlikely to contribute immediately, if he gains strength and improves his footwork, he could be a very useful contributor down the road. When 6-8 Offensive Tackles get enough strength in their hips and develop a base so that they can't be bull rushed and have their higher center of gravity exploited, they're an absolute nightmare to pass rush against with the accompanying footwork.

His film is hard to come by, but a few clips confirm his size and rawness.  In truth, if it was any other coach but Wickline, I'd be dismissive.  But it's Wickline.  He thinks he can fix his feet and adding strength isn't going to be a problem.