Missouri football flips 4-star defensive end from SEC team in Class of 2026 recruiting cycle

The Tigers have earned a Sunday afternoon flip.

Missouri football has flipped the commitment of four-star defensive end Micah Nickerson from Mississippi State, the Class of 2026 recruit announced via social media on Sunday. He had been committed to the Bulldogs since June.

Nickerson, who hails from Magnolia, Mississippi, officially visited Mizzou on Sept. 20 for the Tigers’ win over South Carolina on Faurot Field.

The edge rusher is listed at 6 foot 5, 215 pounds. He is the No. 43-ranked defensive end in his class, on the recruiting service 247Sports’ composite rankings, and a top-500 player in this cycle.

Let’s work🔐@coachbrianearly@MaureyBland6pic.twitter.com/lL1O7mlked

— Micah Nickerson (@MicahNickerson3) September 28, 2025

“After much prayer and consideration, I want to take a moment to thank my family, friends and teammates for always supporting me through this journey. I’d also like to thank Mississippi State for believing in me and recruiting me,” Nickerson posted to his X/Twitter account. “With that being said, I have decided to decommit from Mississippi State and commit to the University of Missouri. I’m excited for this next chapter and ready to get to work. #MIZ.”

Nickerson tagged Mizzou defensive ends coach Brian Early and MU director of recruiting communications and strategy Maurey Bland, a former Mississippi State assistant, in his commitment announcement.

Mizzou is now up to 12 commitments in its Class of 2026, which is the No. 78-ranked recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports’ rankings, and last in the SEC.

The Tigers also earned a commitment from the No. 1 junior college player in the country Thursday, when Hutchinson CC defensive end Demarcus Johnson — a Missouri City, Texas, native — announced he will join Mizzou next season. Johnson is a 6-7 edge rusher, and Hutchinson is one of the top JUCO teams in the nation.

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Mizzou can return each of its edge rushers from the 2025 team except for Zion Young, who appears set to exhaust his eligibility after this season.

The early national signing period, which is when Mizzou officially will be able to sign its high school pledges, will run from Dec. 3-5.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football flips 4-star defensive end from SEC team in 2026 class