Athlete Closeup: Quarterback Chase Fourcade

To excel at the quarterback position, a player must not only have top-notch physical fitness and mental sharpness, but must also be able to command respect on and off the field. A team cannot rally behind and trust their quarterback if he does not possess the qualities that define a leader. While many teams around the country struggle to find a quarterback with these qualities, Nicholls State football is confident that they have found one in sophomore quarterback Chase Fourcade.
Before coming to Nicholls, Fourcade attended high school and played football at Archbishop Rummel in Metairie. At Rummel, he started at quarterback for three seasons. He led the team to a Division 1 state championship in 2013, a state semifinals appearance in 2014, a state champion runner-up in 2015 and received multiple awards and honors along the way.

When it was time to decide on what college to attend, Fourcade ultimately chose Nicholls over larger schools such as the University of Maryland and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

“It was the coaches here, I really bind to them. I have trust in them and they have trust in me. I stuck with Nicholls because I wanted a chance to play early,” Fourcade said.

“I think the good thing about Chase was from day one when he said he was coming here, he stuck to that commitment and he knew he was going to be a Colonel all the way through the tough recruiting process. Once he did that, he started recruiting for us. He knew we had to get some good players in here,” Head coach Tim Rebowe said regarding Fourcade’s recruitment process.

During his freshman season at Nicholls, Fourcade started in 11 games for the Colonels. His first career start came on the road against a perineal Southeastern Conference contender in the University of Georgia. Fourcade threw for two touchdowns as Nicholls nearly upset the ninth ranked Bulldogs.

Fourcade finished with 2,482 passing yards on the year, which was the third most in a single season in Nicholls football history. He averaged 257.1 passing yards per game in conference play, ranking him fourth among Southland Conference quarterbacks. His play garnered him multiple honors, including HERO Sports FCS Freshman All-American Honorable Mention, All-Southland Honorable Mention and finishing sixth in voting for the FCS freshman of the year award.

“All the awards, it’s just me doing my job. Being a quarterback, you must have the responsibility and leadership of bringing wins and really having a winning mentality to this team. I really appreciate my role on this team and I’m just looking forward to more,” said Fourcade on how he works to stay humble and improve daily.

Former high school and current teammate wide receiver Damion Jeanpiere Jr. spoke highly of Fourcade, saying, “You can tell he loves the game more than anybody. He takes it very serious and it’s special to him. That motivates us as his teammates. I think it’s great to have someone like that on the team.”

Off the field, Fourcade, a business management major and works to lead the team by example through making the right decisions.

“I think he’s fantastic, I think he lives his life the right way. It probably has nothing to do with us, but just by his parents and his upbringing. He’s always so respectful to anyone who greets him,” Rebowe said, “Being the quarterback there’s a lot of responsibility, winning or losing it doesn’t matter. I think he handles it the right way. Whether it’s a kid coming to him and talking or an adult asking him questions, he’s so respectful.”