The offseason for college football kicked off with a massive recruiting class, as well as a major coaching change for the Colonels.
Head Coach Charlie Stubbs is entering his fifth season at Nicholls. Nicholls Athletics announced that the football program signed 24 recruits for football. This is the largest recruiting class Stubbs and his staff has brought to Nicholls. The class has balance with 13 players on defense and 11 players on offense.
“We needed a large signing class just to keep our squad numbers up to keep competition up,” Stubbs said. “We need to get good young men in to keep our numbers up so that when we do get injuries, we have capable back-ups.”
Stubbs also mentioned that the recruiting battle is not over. The football program is looking to sign a few transfers from FBS schools. Stubbs expects to have 110 guys once fall camp begins in August.
Nicholls’ senior class includes a number of impact players. On the offensive side of the ball, the Colonels look to replace running backs Marcus Washington and Dalton Hilliard, Jr., who both battled injuries. Washington and Hilliard combined for 1,100 all-purpose yards and 15 total touchdowns. Late in the season, Mike Henry and Reggie Wilson were shouldering the load for the Nicholls run game.
“It is not that we do not have players who are capable, but we just need more guys because as you saw last year, we had a bunch of injuries at the running back spot,” Stubbs said. “So we have plenty of guys, but I don’t think you can ever have enough good running backs.”
Nicholls will also lose two starters on the offensive line, left tackle Abasi Salimu and right tackle Eric Alt. Salimu earned All-Southland Conference honors as well as the team’s Offensive Player of the Year Award.
On the outside, Nicholls will lose big play receiver Erik Buchanan, who averaged 24 yards per catch and found the endzone five times last season, leading him to All-Southland Conference honors. The Colonels will lose a dynamic playmaker in Carey Fortson as well. He finished second on the team in receptions with 23, but his biggest impact came on special teams. He finished the year with 25.5 yards per kick return capped off with a 94-yard touchdown against Lamar.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Colonels will lose two key starters in linebacker Chris Bermond and safety Siegan Vergenal. Bermond led the defense in tackles and tackles for a loss. He was second in sacks with two and half and tied for first in interceptions with two. Vergenal finished the year with 66 tackles and three pass breakups and earned the team Defensive Player of the Year award. Both earned All-Southland Conference honors.
While the football program is busy recruiting, they are also finding their next person to lead the defense. Defensive Coordinator Jeremy Atwell left Nicholls to become the head coach at Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma. Atwell has spent the last four years as Nicholls’ defensive coordinator. The defense struggled tremendously last year giving up 43.3 points per game. The defense struggled specifically in the run game, giving up 6.7 yards per carry and surrendering over 3,400 yards on the ground.
Stubbs said he is looking both internally and externally to fill that vacant position. He is looking specifically at one coach already on staff, whose name he did not mention. Stubbs would have to make a few changes to position coaches if the unnamed coach is to get the position.
“It’s a healthy situation and there are a lot of people interested in the position. We just have to evaluate and make sure that person is the right fit,” Stubbs said.