Called the "heart and soul" of the defense by the coaching staff, Nicholas brought back memories of former Dolphins standout A.J. Duhe for Florida football fans, as he not only played all three linebacker positions, but was usually seen roaming the field in a variety of roles depending on the play's situation.

A high-motor type who makes tackles in bunches, Nicholas was certain to leave his imprint in the school's record books before his playing days came to an end. His 326 tackles rank second in school history, while he set USF all-time records with 20 sacks and 53½ stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also established school records for most games started (45) and most games played in (50) during a career.

Nicholas was a Class 3A all-state linebacker in 2001 at Lee High School. In addition to all-state honors, he was named to the Florida Times Union Super 11 team in the greater Jacksonville area. He also played for the North squad in Jacksonville's annual Shrine Bowl.

As a senior, Nicholas recorded 151 tackles, including three sacks. He added more than 100 tackles as a junior, and made more than 300 tackles during his prep career. He was the leader of a Lee High defense that allowed just 177 yards per game in 2001, and he also played running back.

Nicholas enrolled at South Florida in 2002, spurning scholarship offers from Syracuse, Georgia and Louisville. That season, he appeared in three games, recording two solo tackles with a stop for a loss before being granted a medical hardship due to an ankle sprain. He returned to start nine contests at strongside outside linebacker, earning Freshman All-America recognition from The Sporting News.

That year, he collected 46 tackles (30 solos) with 5½ sacks and 11 stops for loss. He was credited with seven quarterback pressures, as he caused and recovered one fumble. In 2004, Nicholas started the first six games at strongside linebacker before moving to the weak side. He registered 97 tackles (54 solos) with 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage, adding three pressures and five pass deflections.

The Big East second-team choice started all 12 games on the strong side in 2005. He finished third on the team with 79 tackles (49 solos), as he posted seven sacks and 15½ stops for loss, the sixth-best season total in school annals. He caused a pair of fumbles and recovered another. He also broke up three passes.

In 2006, Nicholas was named All-Big East first team. He started all 13 games to rank second on the team with 102 tackles (77 solos), adding 7½ sacks and 15 stops behind the line of scrimmage with nine pressures. He batted away seven passes, intercepted another and blocked one kick.

In 50 games at South Florida, Nicholas started 45 times. He recorded 326 tackles (212 solos) with 20 sacks for minus-137 yards, 53½ stops for losses of 217 yards and 26 quarterback pressures. He caused three fumbles and recovered two others while also blocking one kick. He had 15 pass deflections and a pair of interceptions.

Positives: Has a thick frame with good upper-body muscle tone, thick thighs and calves … Active in pursuit, doing a nice job of flowing down the line to string plays wide … Plays with solid effort and is best when keeping the action in front of him (lacks range) … More of a collision-type tackler, but he does show good pop on contact … Is quick to close when he locates the ball … Attacks blockers with adequate aggression and has improved his hands usage to take on and re-route tight ends in the short area … Has the vision to track the ball in flight, but gets more deflections than interceptions due to a lack of natural hands … Uses his upper-body power to drag down opposing ball carriers and is a physical face-up hitter … Bit of a liability covering on extended routes, but has the ability to cover in the short area … Has a sharp closing burst on the play-side … Breaks down properly in the open when runners change direction and has the quickness to catch backs from behind … Goes low in his stance, generating good leg thrust to drive the opponent back on his heels … Efficient blitzer who slips through blocks to provide constant pressure on the pocket … Plays with good aggression and is always looking for the ball when working through trash … Has a good concept for taking angles in backside pursuit … Needs to improve his backpedal mechanics, but shows crisp cutting agility out of his breaks.

Negatives: Gets suckered out of position at times, having problems with misdirection … Lacks the size you look for on the perimeter and might not have the read-and-diagnose ability to call defensive signals as a middle linebacker … Short arms when offensive linemen lock on to him, struggling to shed … Too stiff in his hips to redirect or change direction easily … For some reason, he will stop his legs once a blocker latches on to him, quickly getting taken out of the play … Can be engulfed by larger blockers and struggles to press the taller and more physical tight ends … Better flowing to the play-side than from behind … Does not have natural hands for the interception … Poor space tackler (better in close quarters), as he will revert to ducking his head upon contact … Gets too high in his stance when backpedaling and fails to open his hips properly to turn and go … Has a marginal feel for routes and hesitates before dropping into the throwing lane … Good blitzer, but will get caught up in inside trash.

Compares To: KEVIN BENTLEY-Seattle … Nicholas can play all three linebacker positions, but outside of his blitzing, there are quite a few liabilities in his game. He is slow to read keys and doesn't have the size, bulk or overall strength to simply punish ball carriers. He might be a better fit inside, but he does a marginal job of locating the ball quickly enough to impact on the play. He is too light to play on the line, but late in the draft, his pass-rushing skills could make for a nice pickup, but only as a situational player.

2002: Granted a medical hardship after playing in three games due to an ankle sprain.

2007: Did not complete agility tests at the Combine due to a right hamstring pull.

Campus: 4.64 in the 40-yard dash (wind-aided) … 4.69 40-yard dash (against the wind).

Combine: 4.45 20-yard shuttle … 12.09 60-yard shuttle … 7.29 three-cone drill … 33½-inch vertical jump … 9-foot-2 broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 29 times.

Attended Lee (Jacksonville, Fla.) High School, where he was a Class 3A all-state linebacker in 2001 … In addition to all-state honors, he was named to the Florida Times Union Super 11 team in the Jacksonville area … Played for the North squad in Jacksonville's annual Shrine Bowl … As a senior, Nicholas recorded 151 tackles, including three sacks … Added more than 100 tackles as a junior, and made more than 300 tackles during his prep career … Was the leader of a Lee High defense that allowed just 177 yards per game in 2001 … Also played running back.

General Studies major … Born May 1, 1983 … Resides in Jacksonville, Fla.