Hurricanes commit Luke Nickel shows off his toughness in South Florida win

FORT LAUDERDALE — Milton (Georgia) High quarterback Luke Nickel tweaked his thumb after making a catch on a trick play — called “The U” because it is designed to go to Nickel — early in their game against American Heritage on Friday night.

There was no consideration of whether Nickel would exit the game, though.

“It was never a question of was he was going to come out, was he going to finish the game, were we going to alter the game plan,” Milton coach Ben Reaves said. “Luke was going to continue to be Luke and push through whatever pain or injury he had, and that’s just one of the things that makes him so special.”

Reaves added: “If he wasn’t our starting quarterback, he’d be our starting Mike linebacker. He’s just that tough. He’s that blue-collar.”

Nickel, who has been committed to the Miami Hurricanes for over a year , threw for nearly 250 yards and two touchdowns as he helped lead his team to a 37-28 win over the Patriots at St. Thomas Aquinas High. The game was broadcast on ESPN as part of the Broward County National Football Showcase.

“We found a way to battle through, especially against a really good team, Heritage,” Nickel said. “Lots of great athletes, so just finding a way to win that game was big for us.”

Shortly after he committed to Miami last year, Nickel came down to Florida to play against Western as part of the annual showcase. The Eagles left that game with a loss, but Nickel went on to lead Milton to a state championship. He threw for 3,914 yards with 39 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

Since that game a year ago, Nickel has developed as a quarterback. Reaves trusts Nickel to make checks at the line and change plays based on what he sees.

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“Mentally, we’ve put so much on him this year,” Reaves said. “He’s truly running a complete offense with a lot of checks. He’s got a good amount of power out there to get us into some good plays based on certain looks. So that just shows his maturity and just overall football IQ and knowledge. The way he’s throwing the ball right now, his timing, his feet have just improved so much. His confidence is there. He’s clicking on all cylinders right now.”

Nickel is the longest-tenured commit in Miami’s 2025 class. Although his recruiting stock has risen — he is currently a four-star prospect and the No. 20 quarterback in the class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings — Nickel has stuck to his Hurricanes commitment.

“I feel really good,” Nickel said. “Just talking with them (Friday), I knew I was so comfortable. My relationship with them is just super strong right now.”

Nickel said he loves speaking to Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, who is also his future position coach.

“I love hearing his mind and just seeing the offense that he runs,” Nickel said. “I feel like it fits me really well.”

The four-star quarterback said he has seen the culture the Hurricanes’ coaching staff has built , and he wants to see the team continue to develop before he arrives on campus.

“Just keep growing as a team,” Nickel said. “I’ve been in the locker room. You can see the growth from them and just the commitment that the guys have bought into. The culture’s really strong right now.”

Reaves has had a front-row seat to Nickel’s development on and off the field, and he is confident his quarterback will be a good addition to Miami’s culture.

“There’s a lot of good quarterbacks out there,” Reaves said. “He is a winner, and you want winners on your team. You want guys that know how to go out and score more than the other team and they’re going to do whatever it takes to win. That’s what you get in him.”