Shake and Bake: Linemen bring friendship from FCS to UNLV

UNLV co-offensive coordinator TJ Woods has a nickname for the left side of the Rebels’ starting offensive line.

He calls the duo — senior tackle Daviyon McDaniel and senior guard Preston Nichols — Shake and Bake, an homage to the friendship at the center of Will Ferrell’s 2006 movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”

“They’re thick as thieves,” said Woods, who also serves as the Rebels’ offensive line coach. “They’re good friends. They have a good bond.”

There’s only one problem. They can’t agree on who’s Shake and who’s Bake.

“I’d have to say I’m Shake,” McDaniel said. “I’m Shake, he’s Bake.”

Nichols disagrees: “I’m Shake, for sure. I’m more of the speed, quick-twitch guy. He’s got power, that’s why he’s Bake. I’m Shake, he’s Bake.”

McDaniel and Nichols have a chemistry on and off the field, which has become crucial to the UNLV offensive line, but their rapport wasn’t built in a day. Instead, it’s the result of years spent together, going all the way back to their time as roommates at Charleston Southern, a Football Championship Subdivision school in South Carolina where both players began their collegiate careers.

They will experience another once-in-a-lifetime moment together at 11:30 a.m. Saturday when UNLV plays Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.

“It’s been a journey,” McDaniel said. “Coming from where we came from, some of the stuff we went through at our old school, and just being able to have this opportunity here — It’s been a blessing.”

The pair first met while Nichols was taking his official visit to Charleston Southern as a high school student. McDaniel is one year older, but once Nichols arrived for his freshman year, they were inseparable. They roomed together, hung out during the summers and, of course, spent valuable time on the gridiron.

McDaniel, a Sumter, South Carolina, native, entered the transfer portal after the 2020 season, when he was named to the All-Big South first team, and eventually committed to UNLV. He made 12 starts for the Rebels in 2021, establishing himself at left tackle.

Nichols submitted his name to the transfer portal a year later, and McDaniel began recruiting his friend immediately. Nichols’ arrival in Las Vegas wasn’t a guarantee. The guard was considering an offer from Syracuse, partially because it was closer to his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, and also due to the school being in the Power Five Atlantic Coast Conference.

However, the combination of UNLV’s facilities, Nichols’ connection with the Rebels’ coaching staff and McDaniel’s recruiting convinced the guard to head west.

“They showed me what it’s like to be a Rebel,” Nichols said. “I liked it, felt like I could be a good addition to the team, so I thought this was the best thing for me.”

Both McDaniel and Nichols took a significant risk by deciding to change schools. The transfer portal is a unique experience for offensive lineman, especially compared to other positions.

Woods said the varying terminology, game plans, offensive schemes and techniques utilized by different programs can make it difficult for offensive lineman to switch teams and make an immediate impact.

“We’re willing to give transfers a chance,” Woods said. “We’re not just recruiting those guys as backups. We don’t promise them anything. We just promise them competition.”

McDaniel agreed with Woods, but he said the hardest part of transitioning to a new program as an offensive lineman is building chemistry. Unlike every other position on the football field, the offensive line has to function as a unit. The trust and communication, verbal and nonverbal, needed for the entire group to be effective is hard to build from scratch.

Nichols and McDaniel have always been on the same wavelength, and their camaraderie comes naturally. McDaniel is more outgoing and energetic, while Nichols is reserved and calm. However, both find the other hilarious, and they have a hard time sitting in a room together without bursting into laughter.

“It’s bad when you have us together,” Nichols said. “We’re like the class clowns.”

While the duo aren’t roommates anymore, they spend most of their free time together. Proud Carolina natives, McDaniel and Nichols are constantly on the hunt for good food.

McDaniel and Nichols bond over video games, too. McDaniel is the better Fortnite player, but Nichols is one of UNLV’s foremost Madden experts. Both are excited for the new Call of Duty to come out soon.

Having McDaniel around has also helped Nichols settle into Las Vegas. He’s still getting used to the heat, and wonders at the size and vibe of the city. Nichols recalled seeing Usher shopping at Caesars Palace once, and he said the R&B singer is the most famous celebrity he’s seen since moving to Las Vegas.

McDaniel and Nichols are a long way from home, more than 2,250 miles from where their journey started. They’ve both gambled, and are now reaping the rewards of betting on themselves, experiencing lives on and off the field they couldn’t have imagined all those years ago at Charleston Southern.

Most importantly, they’re doing it together, regardless of who’s Shake and who’s Bake.

“It’s kind of surreal,” McDaniel said. “Going from playing at a small school, in a small stadium in front of not many people to playing in front of thousands of people and doing it with one of your best friends — that’s special.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.