As a transfer from the University of Texas-El Paso last fall, junior linebacker Cory Vavala found himself at the fifth-string linebacker spot at the start of fall camp. By the time the Colonels opened the 2004 season against Eastern Washington, he was in the No. 1 slot and has not lost the position since.”Last year (he) did a good job,” linebacker coach Steve Ellis said. “(He was) kind of unsure about some things, but made a lot of good plays.”
After redshirting his first year at UTEP and playing special teams his second, Cory said he came to Nicholls because he wanted to be put in a position where he could play.
“UTEP was a great place,” Cory said. “I was just playing special teams. I played a slow role over there. I wanted to be put in the role where people depended on me to do something right.”
Originally Vavala’s older brother, senior defensive lineman Brady Vavala, left UTEP in 2004 because he was not happy there. After coming to Nicholls, he called Cory and asked him if he wanted to come join him.
“The staff over there (at UTEP) really helped us,” head football coach Jay Thomas said. “They sent us the tape (of Cory) over, and we evaluated the tape and saw some great quality in him, so we took a shot on him. (We) brought him over here, and it’s worked out really well for us.”
Last year Cory led the team with 69 tackles and 5.5 tackles for a loss of 39 yards. Additionally he recorded one interception, four pass breakups, one quarterback hurry and recovered one fumble.
This year he leads the Colonels with 56 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss of 14 yards, one sack, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He is second in the conference in tackles per game and tied for third in forced fumbles per game.
Cory was named Southland Conference and the Sports Network Defensive Player of the Week, along with being selected Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 31 for his efforts in the Colonels win over then-No. 5 Texas State.
“I knew he was a good player, but I didn’t know if he was going to be on a national stage like he is right now. Right now I think this year he should finish up somewhere on somebody’s All-America team if not all of them,” Ellis said.
Older brother Brady said he is proud of his younger brother.
“Cory has been doing an awesome job,” Brady said. “I knew he could play like this, and he’s showing everyone what he can do. He’s really leading the defense well, and he’s just doing what I knew he could do.”
Ellis said Cory would run the defense if he, Thomas or defensive coordinator Charles Kelley was not around. Thomas said his “mike” linebacker is like an assistant coach on the field in that he can put everyone in position, and he knows everyone’s duties.
Thomas also made the comparison between New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi and Cory.
“We all just got to see Tedy Bruschi come back and play,” Thomas said. “What he means to the New England Patriots, that’s what Cory Vavala means to our defense.”
Collegiate football is not something new for the San Antonio, Texas, native. His father Frank played football at Texas A&M and Sam Houston State. His uncle, Mike Vavala, played football at Sam Houston State as well. Additionally, Cory’s father served as his high school coach at St. Anthony Catholic High School.
With the success he has had in his first two years as a Colonel, Thomas has seen improvement in Cory. He said Cory always played aggressively, but now he plays smarter.
“He understands what we want to call in certain situations and where the ball is on the field,” Thomas said. “I think that’s what really helped him: understanding our thought process and then being able to do it on the field.”
With the success he has achieved in his Nicholls career thus far, Cory is not the last one in the Vavala family to play football. There are two more Vavalas playing football in high school and junior high.
“I have a younger brother who’s a junior in high school. They think he’s going to be better than both of us. The little one’s only 15. He’s still in junior high, and he plays linebacker like me so I’m going to teach him some stuff that he needs to know to get better.
