Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-6@ Stanford | 3/5 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 5.4 | 61.9 | |
| Wk 2 | W 77-7vs Florida A&M | 8/8 | 144 | 3 | 0 | 18.0 | 94.5 | Season-high 144 yds |
| Total | 11/13 | 171 | 3 | 1 | 11.7 | 78.2 |
#5
Luke Nickel
Freshman quarterback for Miami. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 220 lb · Alpharetta, GA
Returning to Miami for 2026
The numbers
171
passing yards · 2026
3 TD · 1 INT · 13.2 per attempt
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 144 pass yds, 3 TD, 13 rush yds, vs Florida A&M
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
1 quarterback for Miami. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Miami in 2025.
Buzz vs Tape
Country hotter than the fans
The wider college football conversation reads him warmer than his own fans do — a gap of 24.2 points in belief.
31.1own fans
55.3national conversation
In Their Words
194 windows · 2026 fan posts
luke×54.5charmar×339.5briggs×191.9fletcher×72.7mark×39.8mensah×36.3darian×36.1star×15.1
“Luke nickel gone qb next year if menshaw leave”
youtube/Locked On Canes · fan post, verbatim
Luke Nickel
He has spent two seasons in the Miami quarterback room. The receipt: 144 pass yds, 13 rush yds against Florida A&M — Week 2, 2026.
171 PASS YDS · 3 PASS TD · 13 RUSH YDS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2025
- Signed with Miami4-star out of Milton
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Miami
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Mario Cristobal — 15-3 over that span.
2025Miami13-3HC: Mario Cristobal · Balanced
2026Miami2-0HC: Mario Cristobal · Run-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Elite: yards / att (100th percentile). Strength: completion % (100th percentile). Concern: pass yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (7)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 85.5 YDS/g, 1.5 TD/g, 11.7 YPA, 0.5 INT/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mario Cristobal
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 77–7
vs Florida A&M
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · Florida A&M · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +3.61(12:43) Shotgun #5 L.Nickel pass complete deep middle to #12 S.Wingo caught at FAMU03, for 47 yards to the FAMU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 12:36, 1ST DOWN #97 W.Rocha kick attempt good (H: #96 T.Tevepaugh, LS: #59 V.Diepenbrock)
- Week 1 · Stanford · 2&7 · Q4 · EPA -3.03Shotgun #5 L.Nickel pass intercepted by #39 C.Eckhardt at STA05, End Of Play
- Week 2 · Florida A&M · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.90(09:58) Shotgun #5 L.Nickel pass complete deep left to #8 V.Jacobs caught at FAMU02, for 33 yards to the FAMU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 09:54, 1ST DOWN #97 W.Rocha kick attempt good (H: #96 T.Tevepaugh, LS: #59 V.Diepenbrock)
- Week 1 · Stanford · 3&7 · Q4 · EPA +2.66Shotgun #5 L.Nickel pass complete short right to #12 S.Wingo caught at STA45, for 11 yards to the STA46, End Of Play, 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Florida A&M · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.63(05:54) Shotgun #5 L.Nickel pass complete deep left to #13 V.Spafford caught at FAMU00, for 21 yards to the FAMU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 05:49, 1ST DOWN, PENALTY FAMU Pass Interference declined #97 W.Rocha kick attempt good (H: #96 T.Tevepaugh, LS: #59 V.Diepenbrock)
- Week 1 · Stanford · 2&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.06Shotgun #5 L.Nickel pass complete short right to #12 S.Wingo caught at MIA36, for 16 yards to the MIA40 QB hurried by #96 C.Bachhuber (#36 T.Williams), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Florida A&M · 2&7 · Q3 · EPA +1.81(08:17) Shotgun #5 L.Nickel pass complete short right to #19 M.Parris caught at MIAMI40, for 13 yards to the FAMU45 (#7 A.Powell Jr.), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Florida A&M · 3&3 · Q3 · EPA +1.64(13:19) Shotgun #5 L.Nickel pass complete short left to #8 V.Jacobs caught at FAMU47, for 5 yards to the FAMU47, End Of Play, 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Florida A&M · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.42(14:58) No Huddle-Shotgun #5 L.Nickel pass complete short right to #13 V.Spafford caught at MIAMI22, for 16 yards to the MIAMI41 (#10 F.Callum), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Stanford · 3&5 · Q4 · EPA -0.86(02:48) Shotgun #5 L.Nickel pass complete short left to #19 M.Parris caught at STA30, for 0 yards to the STA28 (#95 A.Shovlin)
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Miami
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Quarterback · Miami
Returning around him
- 37% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
- 9 Miami players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -8 net (12 in / 20 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Miami · Last season: 13-3 (AP #10) · Talent rank #12 · 2026 recruiting class #9
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #48
Peaked at #48 this season.
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology