Krewe de Bonne Terre moves parade to Sunday
February 5, 2016
Mardi Gras morning hit and run proves fatal
February 10, 2016
Last year with just a month to recruit, Nicholls football coach Tim Rebowe and his staff put together his inaugural recruiting class.
It was a 26-player group – a talented bunch that the coach said are the foundation of the Colonels’ future successes.
“I got hired here in November, so we didn’t have much time – really just a month when you think about it,” Rebowe said. “But we did a nice job, and we put all of the pieces together.”
In his second stab at it, Rebowe had a full year to sculpt his class. The byproduct is a group he believes may be the best in the history of Nicholls State University football.
Rebowe unveiled Nicholls’ signing class this week – another 26-player crop that is glittered with talented players from across the state of Louisiana and beyond.
The coach said he’s pleased with the haul, which features several decorated players who fill the Colonels needs. At the team’s National Signing Day press conference and luncheon, Rebowe said he would put up this class with any he’s seen in school history – an honor he said is possible because the culture change that’s going on within Nicholls State University football.
“I think these kids say that the program was going in the right direction,” Rebowe said. “They know this is a good place for them and that this is a program that’s on the rise.”
For the Colonels, the recruiting effort has been a year-round job.
Rebowe said his staff hit the recruiting trail hard this past summer, making pitches to prospects all across the state.
The Colonels collected a record number of verbal commitments during the summer and fall, riding the wave of momentum that Rebowe created upon his hiring – a vision that Nicholls would soon be a football power.
The coach said Nicholls got even more verbals early in the winter after recruits saw the Colonels go 3-3 in their final six games, including wins in two out of their final three tries – a streak that Rebowe believes showed prospects that the future was bright.
“The way we finished the season helped. We had a couple more commit to us right before Christmas,” Rebowe said. “Look, I have to give it to (the kids). Those guys really honored their commitments. They stayed with it. They gave their pledge, but then signed with Nicholls State.”
The Colonels remained balanced in their recruiting efforts, signing roughly an even number of offensive and defensive players.
But there’s no doubt that Rebowe and his staff heavily emphasized the line of scrimmage when making their recruiting board.
The Colonels took five offensive linemen, a tight end and five defensive linemen in an effort to build depth in the trenches – a problem that’s plagued Nicholls for years.
Three of the signees will show up to Thibodaux game-ready and with college experience. The Colonels had three mid-year transfers – all linemen, a trio consisting of Tulane offensive lineman transfer Brandon Godfrey, East Central Community College offensive lineman Eddie Houston and TCU transfer Tevin Lawson, a former Rivals.com 4-star player.
The Colonels also signed decorated Rummel High School offensive lineman Joe Olivier and E.D. White product Alec Naquin in an effort to get bigger and more athletic up front.
“You know, that was one thing that we really needed – to build that depth and get some competition for positions going at those lineman positions,” said Rebowe earlier in the offseason. “We know that if you can run the football and stop the opponent from running the football, you’re in good shape, so we want to get players who help us do both of those things.”
The Colonels also brought in a few high school skill players, snagging De La Salle receiver Christian Booker, St. James receiver Arron McKenney, Zachary tight end Cameron Carrier, Central Catholic tailback Stefano Guarisco and White Castle halfback Dontrelle Taylor.
The Colonels also got transfer papers from Merced College halfback Josh Stevens.
Stevens may compete to be Nicholls’ tailback next fall – especially after rushing for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons at Merced, which earned himself the distinction as the No. 13 JUCO halfback in the country, according to recruiting service 24-7Sports.
The man who may lead all these weapons in the future is Rummel quarterback Chase Fourcade – a longtime Colonels commitment, who passed for 1,652 yards and rushed for 513 more as a senior. He combined for 27 touchdowns between his arm and legs.
“We like what we did in terms of getting more athleticism and speed into our offense,” Rebowe said. “We got some bigger weapons – we have some receivers in this group who have some good size to them. That will help us in the red zone.”
Defensively, the Colonels also got playmaking – especially with Central Lafourche defensive back Anfernee Poindexter, who was one of the most explosive players in the Houma-Thibodaux area this past season.
Poindexter, too, is a longtime Nicholls commit. He said this past fall that he would stay true to his pledge because of the family-like vibe he got from Rebowe.
“They’re on the way up. And I just want to be a part of it,” Poindexter said. “It’s close to home, and it feels like family. We’re going to do big things there.”
Rebowe thinks so, too.
He thinks this may be the most gifted incoming bunch of players that this school has ever seen.
“When we met when the guys came back in (from the holidays), we said the past is the past,” Rebowe said. “Last year’s team, that’s over. It’s time for us to move forward. It’s time for guys to make their own name now, and I tell you – we’ve got some guys stepping up who are ready to do exactly that. … We like this class a whole lot. •
