Montae Nicholson was four-star safety recruit coming out of high school where he was the number one ranked high school player in the state of Pennsylvania according to Prepstar, who also listed him as a top 100 national recruit. He was also a 3x state champion in track and field (60 meters, 110 hurdles and 400 relay), as well as a 4th place finisher in the long jump.
With three starts as a true freshman, Nicholson recovered two fumbles and was recognized by both ESPN and the Big Ten on their All-Freshman teams.