Nicholls polishes craft in spring

By the end of the 2015 football season, Nicholls was getting pretty good – a youthful team that ended rookie coach Tim Rebowe’s inaugural campaign by going 3-3 in its final six games.

But now in year two, Rebowe thinks his Colonels are even better.

That should bode well for the future in Nicholls’ continued quest to chase down the top dogs in the Southland Conference and emerge as the league’s new leader.

Spring football has been going on in Thibodaux for the past few weeks, and the Colonels have been busy trying to polish their skills to kick off the new season.

Nicholls ended practice on Tuesday with its spring game – the cap on what Rebowe believes has been a couple quality weeks for both he and the Colonels’ program.

“It’s been pretty good,” Rebowe said. “We’re trying to keep guys healthy. That’s always the No. 1 goal in any spring, of course. Sure, you want to get a bunch of work in, but you want to keep them out of the training room, too, and we’ve done about as well at that as we could expect, with the exception of some kids who’ve either missed because of surgeries or who have been dinged.

“You know, it’s amazing. We were five days into the spring, and I could tell that it’s like night and day how far ahead we are compared to last season. The carry-

over (in end-year momentum) was pretty good.”

Rebowe said his Colonels have been battling on the practice field to try and find new leaders – especially on the offensive side of the ball.

At quarterback, multi-year starter Tuskani Figaro is back and is expected to be the starter with contributor Landry Klann now gone to graduation.

But Rebowe said he also liked the work of youngster Charlie Brooks – a Baton Rouge native who could compete for playing time in the fall.

The Colonels are also waiting on Rummel quarterback Chase Fourcade, who signed with the team on National Signing Day and may make a run at immediate playing time.

“I like the development of our guys at that quarterback position,” Rebowe said. “I think Tuskani has had a good spring. I think Charlie is getting better every day, as well. We like where we are at that position – even while knowing we have another competitor who is entering the program this fall, as well.”

More important than quarterback will be Nicholls’ offensive skill guys, according to Rebowe.

The Nicholls coach said the Colonels have spent most-all of the spring attempting to comb through its depth chart at halfback – an area that was made thin when both Mike Henry and Tobias Lofton graduated after last season.

Rebowe said he believes in some of the roster’s unknowns at halfback, but nothing in the depth chart is etched in stone.

He said the battle for playing time in the fall will depend on who carries momentum from the spring forward into the summer, then, of course, into the season.

“We’re not settled at running back,” Rebowe said. “We lost two great players there. Someone’s going to have to step up, because it’s not going to be easy to do what Michael and Tobias did. We have to find a consistent running back who can step up right away and help us.”

In the trenches, Rebowe said Nicholls is well-positioned to be able-bodied, because of some of the nicks and bruises the team has accumulated since last season.

The coach said that the Colonels have a handful of guys missing from spring, which has allowed lesser-knowns an opportunity to see the field for lots of snaps.

That phenomenon, according to Rebowe, has given Nicholls something it hasn’t had in a while along the line: depth.

“I tell the guys all of the time that if someone is out, that creates an opportunity for someone else to step up and fill that spot,” Rebowe said. “That philosophy has helped us build some depth. On the offensive and defensive lines, we’ve created depth, and we’re happy about that, because we know that we need it.”

Another thing Nicholls needs is for its defense to continue improving-something that very well may happen if one looks at the depth chart.

The Colonels lost next-to-nothing defensively in the offseason, returning an experience-heavy unit that was already vastly improved in year one under Rebowe, who is a defensive coach.

Rebowe said he can’t wait to see his linebackers and defensive backs continue to progress.

“We’ve grown up a lot on defense,” Rebowe said. “We’re bigger on the defensive front. I love the play of our linebackers. Adrian Richardson has come a long way. Hezekiah White has come a long way. Geoffrey Hebert is coming along nicely, too. Our secondary is a mature group, led by All-Conference performer B.T. Sanders, who is back and will be a senior. We have experience now, and that’s key.”

But riding the wave of momentum just may be what’s most important for Nicholls’ future.

Rebowe said that since the offseason, he’s been bombarded with love and support from the community – a passionate fan base that he said is eager to root on the Colonels next fall.

The coach added that it will be key for Nicholls to continue to fuel that support with wins – something the team intends to do.

“The reception has been tremendous. The people in this town are behind this school and this team,” Rebowe said. “But we know that you want to put a good product on the field – that people want to see. We’re working hard every day to do that now. And we like where we stand.”

‘We have to find a consistent running back.’

Tim Rebowe

Nicholls football coach

Nicholls polishes craft in spring