Drake Nugent

Nugent attended Highlands Ranch High School in Colorado and was rated a 3-star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports. He was a two-way player who was credited with 117 pancake blocks as a junior and was credited with 71 tackles and 3 sacks on defense. He also lettered in track and field and won 3 consecutive state championships in the shot put. He committed to Stanford to play football for the Cardinals. In his freshman and sophomore years combined, he only played in 3 games in a reserve role. As a junior in 2021, Nugent found his footing and started in 12 games and allowed 4 sacks. He was named All-PAC 12 Honorable Mention by the coaches. Entering the 2022 season, he was listed on preseason lists for both the Outland Trophy and the Rimington Trophy. Last season, he started 12 games and played at a high level, allowing 0 sacks. Over the past 2 seasons, he has 993 pass blocking snaps and has allowed only 4 sacks. In December of 2022, Nugent entered the transfer portal and accepted an offer to play and start at center for Michigan. Entering 2023, he was once again on the watch list for both the Outland and Rimington Trophy. He had an excellent season for the undefeated Wolverines. He was only credited with 1 quarterback hit and 0 sacks on the season.