Take a second and imagine Tyrann Mathieu in a Nicholls State uniform. Oh how sweet it would have been.
Like a flickering light in a darkened room, his greatness on the field would have brought brighter days for Colonel fans. After all, how could it not? Despair summarizes the last two seasons in a nutshell for the Colonels, but after SI.com and The Times-Picayune reported that Mathieu, aka the “Honey Badger,” was interested in coming to Nicholls, excitement spread throughout the campus like a virus.
And while it was intense, it wasn’t exactly pretty. The reports got out of hand quickly.  ESPN’s Joe Schad said Mathieu would stay at LSU, while The Times-Picayune’s Jim Kleinpeter reported that his days at LSU were over and Mathieu transferring to McNeese or Nicholls was as good as done.  Schad and Kleinpeter might as well have entered a sources cage match to decide which report was accurate. The details changed by the day as Colonel fans sunk their teeth in what they thought to be viable option. It proved to be a wild roller coaster ride. After ESPN reported that Mathieu was entering drug rehab and sitting out a season, the hopes of fans down the bayou faded.
But since so many reports proved to be inaccurate throughout this process, just take a moment and picture Mathieu still coming to Nicholls. What would it have looked like to see number 7 in red and gray returning punts for touchdowns, forcing fumbles, wreaking havoc in the backfield and making interceptions? More importantly, what would it have felt like? Could there have been a Southland Conference Championship or a playoff berth? What more could the student body ask for? Is your heart racing yet?
Focus on that ray of hope that for once, Nicholls could be on a large platform. And you better believe they would have been. Just seeing Nicholls being mentioned in SI.com was a surreal moment in itself. But it’s not all about intrigue or the spectacle, though the increase in attendance would be fascinating as all get out. It is about winning, and that is something that Nicholls has struggled with lately.
While the Honey Badger has been bathing in his success at LSU, the Colonels have been stinking up the place with phrases like “Honey Boo Boo.” In fact, the SEC has won more national championships in the past six years than Nicholls has won football games in the past two seasons. Though comparing Nicholls to the SEC is like comparing a Mustang to a Lamborghini, it’s not wrong to covet more than five wins in two seasons.
Then again, this has been a rebuilding stage for head coach Charlie Stubbs and the Colonels. Stubbs finally has his recruits playing and the addition of Mathieu could have put the Colonels over the top. Imagine Mathieu bouncing around John L. Guidry stadium, talking trash and swinging games in the Colonels’ favor with his playmaking abilities. I guess some things really are too good to be true.
Unfortunately, the reports about Mathieu sitting out a season look to be as concrete as any of the reports since Mathieu’s dismissal from LSU were announced. This entire hype train of watching Mathieu become a Colonel was basically nothing more than a magical dream. At least it was fun while it lasted.