The Nicholls football team signed 16 standout athletes featuring four offensive linemen, three defensive backs, three linebackers, two defensive linemen, two defensive tackles, one defensive end and one quarterback. The recruiting class was finalized on Wednesday and included seven players from Texas, six from Louisiana, two from Mississippi, and one from Alabama.
The group consists of four mid-year signees who have been on campus since the start of the spring semester. The players include defensive lineman Soloman Ona from Mississippi State University, defensive backs Ladarius Webb and Lance Moore from the University of Southern Mississippi and Daun Thompson from Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas.
“We are very excited about the recruits that we obtained and they are all going to be great players for this team,” head coach Jay Thomas said.
Nicholls added a local talent to its roster with the signing of defensive tackle A.J. Carter from Thibodaux High School. Carter made 66 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, four tackles for a loss and was named to the 2006 All-Bayou Region, All-Parish and All-District teams in his only season playing football.
Tyler McAffe was the only quarterback to sign with the Colonels on Wednesday. The 6-foot-3-inch, 200-pound quarterback rushed for 2,334 yards with 42 touchdowns scored and passed for 320 yards with three touchdowns in his senior season at Calhoun High School in Victoria, Texas. The quarterback earned honorable mention on the Texas Sports Writers Association All-State team and was selected as the Offensive Player of the Year on the Victoria Advocate’s All-Area team.
Thomas said McAffe should feel at home with the Colonels offensive attack because his high school ran the same formation.
“McAffe is familiar with the triple option offense and he is a very physical athlete that reminds me a lot of (former quarterback) Yale Vannoy,” Thomas said.
The Colonels obtained the majority of their recruiting class from Texas. Thomas said the reasoning for this is because Hurricane Katrina has somewhat hindered the Colonels recruiting efforts.
“Our recruiting basis used to be in New Orleans but then Hurricane Katrina came. Many of the programs impacted by the hurricane are just getting started back up. We have really had to stretch are boundaries into Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi due to this,” Thomas said.
After not playing last season, playmaker Joseph Tobias will return as a running back for the Colonels. Tobias played an instrumental role in helping the Colonels win the Southland Conference in 2005. He rushed for 720 yards and scored seven touchdowns in his last season playing for the Colonels.
Nicholls is two decisions away from finalizing the 2007 football schedule.
With the additional 16 recruits and the return of Tobias, the Colonels hope to win another Southland Conference Championship in 2007.
