To the ACC is going to be another Ole Miss transfer.
Tahveon Nicholson, an Illinois transfer cornerback, declared his intention to play for Louisville in 2024 instead of the Rebels. Nicholson has now joined defensive back Tamarion McDonald of Tennessee and edge rusher Tyler Baron of Tennessee as the third athlete to switch from Ole Miss to the Cardinals.
Nicholson, who is eligible for one more season, has started the last two of his four seasons at Illinois. He recorded 36 tackles and six pass breakups by the end of the 2023 season.
Nicholson played for the top-scoring defence in the country in 2022, which limited opponents to 12.8 games per game. Among the best in college football, the Illini secondary allowed just 173.8 yards per game, the seventh fewest of any Power Five team.
In April of last year, the first three rounds saw the drafts of Sydney Brown (No. 66), Quan Martin (No. 47), and Devon Witherspoon (No. 5). The only starter back for the secondary was Nicholson.
The Rebels knew going into the summer that they would need help at cornerback. Both Nicholson and Mississippi State transfer Decamerion Richardson, who Ole Miss first signed, have since left Oxford.
Earlier this month, Richardson declared he would forgo his last year of eligibility and join the NFL Draft in 2024. In 2024, it was anticipated that he would start for the Rebels on the outside.
Since then, Amorion Walker, a transfer from Michigan, has committed to Ole Miss. With former Alabama defensive back Trey Amos scheduled to visit Oxford this weekend, the Rebels are still in the running for his services.
Amos, a Louisiana native who joined the Crimson Tide in the offseason, finished with 12 tackles and five pass breakups. Amos, a former Ragin’ Cajuns starter, finished the previous four seasons with 72 total tackles, 18 PBUs, and one interception.
Despite the departures of Nicholson, Baron, and McDonald, the Rebels still have one of the best transfer portal classes for 2024. Defence lineman Walter Nolan (Texas A&M), edge rusher Princely Umanmeilen (Florida), receiver Juice Wells (South Carolina), offensive tackle Diego Pounds (North Carolina), linebacker Chris Paul (Arkansas), running back Logan Diggs (LSU), and offensive tackle Diego Pounds (North Carolina) were among the players that pledged to Ole Miss.
Leave a Reply