The Colonel football team is implementing changes in hope of improving their current last place position in the Southland Conference rankings.
One of the changes is the turnover of the Colonel coaching staff. Nicholls welcomed special teams coordinator/safeties coach Steve Adams, cornerback coach Freddie Banks, and tight end coach Brandon Nowlin last spring. Defensive line coach Brandon Washington and head strength and conditioning coach Greg Carasquillo joined the staff this fall.
Washington replaced Tyler Donaldson to coach the defensive line for the 2013-2014 season. As a former member of the LSU football team, Washington lettered all four years and was on the team during its National Championship season in 2003. He looks forward to working with the team and focusing on a new defensive look for the upcoming season.
Aside from a few heavyweights, the Nicholls defensive line contains a greater number of small-sized men than most other collegiate teams. This will force the Colonels to perfect their technique rather than relying on size alone.
“What our guys lack in size, they make up for in talent and heart,”  Washington said.
Carasquillo replaced Brian Thomas as the head strength and conditioning coach this year. Carasquillo, along with assistant strength coach Tyler Shimizu, focuses on proper lifting techniques in the weight room to ensure that members of the football team and every Nicholls athlete gains strength while staying injury free.
Junior tight end Tyler Knowles is pleased with the new authority in the weight room.
“Greg works on more injury preventative stuff, sports oriented lifts, and stretching than BT did,” he said.
In addition to changes in the coaching staff, there have been position shifts within the team.  Both Knowles, a former offensive tackle, and Hayden Cardiff, former quarterback,  made the switch to tight end. Toren Joseph moved from cornerback to safety, and Marcus Parker switched from linebacker to running back.
In addition to the familiar faces in different positions, this season fans will see many new faces on the field. With new players comes added competition for the for seasoned veterans wanting to maintain their current spots.
Senior running back Marcus Washington sees the competition as healthy. “Good competition is important on any team; defending our positions will push us to become better players,” he said.
Despite the changes, the Colonel football team remains the underdog of the Southland Conference. After failing to win any of their conference games in the last two seasons, the Colonels find themselves at the bottom of the conference’s rankings at the beginning of the season.
This situation does not phase senior defensive lineman Eddie Udoh. “We’ve been the underdogs since I’ve gotten to Nicholls, and that always made me want to work harder and work for what I want,” he said.
The Colonels are scheduled to play the Oregon Ducks, who are ranked 2nd in the nation in preseason polls, on Aug. 31 to start off the season. They also play Western Michigan, Louisiana-Lafayette, Langston, and Arkansas Tech in addition to their Southland Conference opponents.
Udoh thinks the team is up for the challenge.
“Our team is blessed to play opponents like these because we get to showcase our talents across the country and elevate our game to play harder teams. If we’re not expected to do anything, we’re going to shock people,” he said.