Manteca two-way athlete Blake Nichelson has become one of the most sought-after recruits in the region this cycle. In addition to his size and skill set, Nichelson’s proximity to Berkeley makes him a natural fit for Cal. Yet, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound linebacker and running back had not visited the Bears up until earlier this month.

Nichelson has gained several offers since the beginning of the year, and he has used the last few weeks to take more visits and get to know programs better in person. He’s been out to Cal, Oregon, USC and Utah recently giving him a better understanding of the process overall.

He is not rushing to any decision right now, but seeing schools and meeting coaches has helped move Nichelson’s recruitment along.

“Definitely going around gives me an overview of the program, and seeing how the daily life is there with the players and what they have to go through,” he said. “So, it definitely helps me know how each college works, how all of them are different and what my daily life would look like.”

Now that Nichelson has had a few months to get to know most of the schools pushing hardest in his recruitment, the 2023 recruit has a better understanding of what he wants most in a college. That has pushed some of his earlier priorities to the back while others have emerged as more important factors this spring.

“Well, definitely, I feel like my relationships with these coaches are a big thing,” he said. “On these visits it gives me an overview of how much of a priority I am to them and how much I actually do mean to the program. So, I think relationships with the coaches is definitely a huge thing going forward in the recruiting process right now.”

Cal has been one of the schools keeping in contact with Nichelson the most this spring, so it made sense for the three-star prospect to make the trek out to Berkeley from Manteca a couple weeks ago to meet with the staff and get a better feel for the program.