He became known for his role in the 2004 film The Day After Tomorrow. He gained additional fame for his role in John from Cincinnati.
He competed in the 1997 Junior Olympics as a member the USA water skiing team.
He played the character Jake Hammond in the 2004 film Wimbledon.
His parents are David and Kay Nichols, and his older sister is named Ashley. He dated Sophia Bush from 2006 to 2012 and Chloe Bennet from 2013 to 2017.
He was in the Sports flick Glory Road alongside Jon Voight.
