Nickel at ISU: Awards and Honors ... Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (S06) ... 2005 ... Had 20 catches, tied for fourth on the team and best among tight ends ... had a career-best day against Oklahoma State, making three catches for 69 yards and a touchdown ... six of his 20 catches went for 24 or more yards ... enrolled in January 2005.

At Dixie State College: Second-team NJCAA All-America ... first-team all-WSFL as a sophomore ... second-team all-WSFL as a freshman ... on Rivals’ Junior College Top 25 list ... ranked number one JUCO tight end and 20th overall JUCO player by collegefootballnews.com ... SuperPrep JUCO 100 ... team’s co-leading receiver as a sophomore with 38 catches ... piled up 514 yards and two touchdowns ... team was 10-2 each of his two seasons, averaging 38 ppg in that span ... caught 35 passes for 477 yards and three scores as a freshman ... coached by Greg Croshaw.

High School: Led team in receiving as a senior with 21 receptions for 310 yards and two touchdowns ... returned a blocked punt for a touchdown ... was third on the team with 71 tackles, 10 for loss ... all-league tight end and defensive end ... caught five passes for 112 yards and a touchdown as a junior ... also made 47 tackles, including five sacks ... coached by Bob Lucy ... lettered three times in football and basketball.

Personal: Born Oct. 19, 1984, in Columbia, S.C. ... son of Gary and Alexis Nickel ... married to Candice Lee Nickel ... grandfather Walter played football at Marquette ... father played football at Army ... brother Matt was a four-year football letterwinner at Utah (1997-2000) ... majoring in psychology.