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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Home Sweet Home
10/18/2002 | Football
Oct. 18, 2002
By Allen Thigpen, Sports Information Student Assistant
For Brad Nichols, "home" has a whole different meaning. There is his "home away from home" in the South and his actual home in the North. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound linebacker is the Rebels' lone representative from the Northeast, hailing from Braintree, Mass.
Not heavily recruited out of high school, Nichols took it upon himself to find a school that would give him the opportunity to play.
"I sent out tapes to a lot of Division I schools," said Nichols, a sophomore History major. "But I didn't feel that I got the right coverage in terms of getting recruited. When I sent one to Ole Miss, they replied and I had a gut feeling that I could make a home in Mississippi."
Ole Miss was among many schools whose interest Nichols hoped to spark with his potential. The Rebels would end up being one of the few to notice his abilities.
"A lot of the other schools were kind of weary on asking me to come down here," said Nichols, son of Hugh and Kristina Nichols. "But the coaches were really great. They told me, 'You have potential and you have a chance at Ole Miss.' All I wanted to hear were those words because, if I was given a chance, I knew I could make something out of myself."
Nichols has taken full advantage of his opportunity. After being redshirted his freshman year, he earned a spot on special teams last year, when he collected his first letter by appearing in all 11 games of the 2001 season. At Ole Miss, Nichols has not only gotten a chance to play, but also the chance to excel at his position.
"I just wanted to be treated fairly and that's what I was given when I came down here," Nichols said. "I wanted a chance to prove myself, and Coach Middleton and Coach Driesbach have given me every opportunity to do that."
Along with making the transition to football at the Southeastern Conference level, Nichols is making the transition to life in the South.
"Things are a lot different from the North, but I'm glad to be a Mississippian now," Nichols said. "I love the South, I love the culture, and now Mississippi is my home."
