May be staying in Abilene.
Cooper grad Nicholas to play QB at either HSU or Faulkner
ABILENE, Texas - Clayton Nicholas, one of Cooper’s all-time great quarterbacks, will play football at either Hardin-Simmons or Faulkner University next season.
Nicholas, who is home in Abilene, said Tuesday he won’t be returning to Bowling Green next season. Instead, the 2012 Cooper graduate said he will transfer to either HSU or Faulkner, the latter an NAIA school in Montgomery, Alabama, in the fall.
“Faulkner offered me a full scholarship, which I’m really thankful for,” Nicholas said. “The thing about HSU is, my mom works there and (tuition) would be 85-percent off for me to go to school there. So basically it’s coming down to whether or not I want to stay in Abilene or go away again, 12 hours away.
“They’re both great schools. I’ve been to both. They both have really good facilities. The coaching staffs have made it really feel like home for me. It’s going to come down to whether I want to play in Texas or Alabama. Both are in the South, and it’s hot all the time.”
Nicholas said he didn’t necessarily dislike living in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
“It would have been better if I got a chance to play,” he said. “The weather doesn’t bother me. It just feels good to be back down South.”
Nicholas said he expects to make a decision by Friday.
Nicholas is Cooper’s all-time leader in passing yards (6,055) and TD passes (56), after playing three seasons (2009-11) for the Cougars. He signed with Texas Tech out of high school in 2012. He spent two seasons with the Red Raiders, but never played. He transferred to Bowling Green, where he had to sit out last season because of the NCAA transfer rule. He would have been eligible to play for the Falcons this season, but decided to leave because he wasn’t going to get a shot at being the starting quarterback.
Former Cooper assistant Sterlin Gilbert had a hand in convincing Nicholas to transfer to Bowling Green, where he was the co-offensive coordinator at the time. Gilbert left the Falcons to join Phillip Montgomery’s staff in Tulsa in December of 2014.
Had he stayed at Bowling Green, Nicholas would have battled James Knapke for the No. 2 job behind Matt Johnson, who suffered a season-ending hip injury in the 2014 season opener. Knapke, who will be a junior this season, threw for 3,173 yards and 15 TDs last season for an 8-6 team that beat South Alabama 33-28 in the Camellia Bowl. Johnson started the final 13 games in 2013 as a redshirt sophomore and has been deemed the Falcons’ No. 1 guy by head coach Dino Babers.
“I told the coach before the spring ended that I’m not here to be the backup,” Nicholas said. “I didn’t come 20 hours away from home to sit on the bench and wait for somebody to get hurt or for something to happen. I want to go somewhere I can play, and he understood what I was thinking. He wished the best for me, and he helped me out with my situation.”
Former Tech assistant Marcus White, now an assistant at Faulkner, also helped Nicholas.
“I guess he gave the coach (at Faulkner) a good word about me, and I’m thankful they offered me a full scholarship,” Nicholas said.
Charlie Boren just finished his first season as the Eagles head coach. Faulkner, which plays in the Mid-South Conference, was 9-3 last year (4-1 conference) and lost to No. 6 Lindsey Wilson in the first round of the playoffs.
If he transfers to another DI team, Nicholas could only play two seasons. Nicholas, who has four full semesters of college remaining before graduating, said he can play three seasons at Division III HSU or four at Faulkner.
“I could go full-time the spring and fall and have only two seasons left, or I could go part-time in the spring and full-time in the fall at play four years (at Faulkner) and I think three at HSU,” he said. “I’ve got at least three years left to play, because I’ve never stepped on the field in an NCAA game. It kind of worked out good for me. But at the same time, I wish I could have played at Tech or Bowling Green.
“It’s a stressful situation for me. It’s a big decision. I feel like it’s a bigger decision than when I came out high school, honestly. I’m running out of time to play. I’m just looking for a place to allow me an opportunity to play at least two years.”
And Nicholas wants to play right away.
“If I just wanted to be part of team and be at a big-time school, I would have never left Tech,” he said. “I don’t just want to be part of team. I want to be the starting quarterback and turn my big dreams into something that’s real. It’s all timing and all that. I just haven’t had good timing at the schools I’ve been to. Hopefully, this time is right.”
http://www.reporternews.com/sports/...1590952?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Cooper grad Nicholas to play QB at either HSU or Faulkner
ABILENE, Texas - Clayton Nicholas, one of Cooper’s all-time great quarterbacks, will play football at either Hardin-Simmons or Faulkner University next season.
Nicholas, who is home in Abilene, said Tuesday he won’t be returning to Bowling Green next season. Instead, the 2012 Cooper graduate said he will transfer to either HSU or Faulkner, the latter an NAIA school in Montgomery, Alabama, in the fall.
“Faulkner offered me a full scholarship, which I’m really thankful for,” Nicholas said. “The thing about HSU is, my mom works there and (tuition) would be 85-percent off for me to go to school there. So basically it’s coming down to whether or not I want to stay in Abilene or go away again, 12 hours away.
“They’re both great schools. I’ve been to both. They both have really good facilities. The coaching staffs have made it really feel like home for me. It’s going to come down to whether I want to play in Texas or Alabama. Both are in the South, and it’s hot all the time.”
Nicholas said he didn’t necessarily dislike living in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
“It would have been better if I got a chance to play,” he said. “The weather doesn’t bother me. It just feels good to be back down South.”
Nicholas said he expects to make a decision by Friday.
Nicholas is Cooper’s all-time leader in passing yards (6,055) and TD passes (56), after playing three seasons (2009-11) for the Cougars. He signed with Texas Tech out of high school in 2012. He spent two seasons with the Red Raiders, but never played. He transferred to Bowling Green, where he had to sit out last season because of the NCAA transfer rule. He would have been eligible to play for the Falcons this season, but decided to leave because he wasn’t going to get a shot at being the starting quarterback.
Former Cooper assistant Sterlin Gilbert had a hand in convincing Nicholas to transfer to Bowling Green, where he was the co-offensive coordinator at the time. Gilbert left the Falcons to join Phillip Montgomery’s staff in Tulsa in December of 2014.
Had he stayed at Bowling Green, Nicholas would have battled James Knapke for the No. 2 job behind Matt Johnson, who suffered a season-ending hip injury in the 2014 season opener. Knapke, who will be a junior this season, threw for 3,173 yards and 15 TDs last season for an 8-6 team that beat South Alabama 33-28 in the Camellia Bowl. Johnson started the final 13 games in 2013 as a redshirt sophomore and has been deemed the Falcons’ No. 1 guy by head coach Dino Babers.
“I told the coach before the spring ended that I’m not here to be the backup,” Nicholas said. “I didn’t come 20 hours away from home to sit on the bench and wait for somebody to get hurt or for something to happen. I want to go somewhere I can play, and he understood what I was thinking. He wished the best for me, and he helped me out with my situation.”
Former Tech assistant Marcus White, now an assistant at Faulkner, also helped Nicholas.
“I guess he gave the coach (at Faulkner) a good word about me, and I’m thankful they offered me a full scholarship,” Nicholas said.
Charlie Boren just finished his first season as the Eagles head coach. Faulkner, which plays in the Mid-South Conference, was 9-3 last year (4-1 conference) and lost to No. 6 Lindsey Wilson in the first round of the playoffs.
If he transfers to another DI team, Nicholas could only play two seasons. Nicholas, who has four full semesters of college remaining before graduating, said he can play three seasons at Division III HSU or four at Faulkner.
“I could go full-time the spring and fall and have only two seasons left, or I could go part-time in the spring and full-time in the fall at play four years (at Faulkner) and I think three at HSU,” he said. “I’ve got at least three years left to play, because I’ve never stepped on the field in an NCAA game. It kind of worked out good for me. But at the same time, I wish I could have played at Tech or Bowling Green.
“It’s a stressful situation for me. It’s a big decision. I feel like it’s a bigger decision than when I came out high school, honestly. I’m running out of time to play. I’m just looking for a place to allow me an opportunity to play at least two years.”
And Nicholas wants to play right away.
“If I just wanted to be part of team and be at a big-time school, I would have never left Tech,” he said. “I don’t just want to be part of team. I want to be the starting quarterback and turn my big dreams into something that’s real. It’s all timing and all that. I just haven’t had good timing at the schools I’ve been to. Hopefully, this time is right.”
http://www.reporternews.com/sports/...1590952?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
