Corey's Corner: Nichols in the Stream

Mike Corey is a columnist for GoDuke.com. A 2005 graduate of Duke, he is the former sports editor of The Chronicle and Towerview. In 2005, he won the Rolling Stone magazine College Journalism Award for Essays and Criticism.

DURHAM, N.C. - With rod in hand, Eli Nichols and his father spent countless summers together off the shore from their Florida home with the faith that a fish would rise. It was on the ocean where hours were spent enjoying the peace of fishing, rather than the violence of the other sport at which Nichols excelled.

This juxtaposition perhaps best explains the path that Nichols has paved for himself, and the wide swath of successes along the way.

On the one hand, Nichols is as gruesome a defender as they come in ACC football. The anchor of Duke’s defensive line, Nichols is conspicuous for consistently drawing double-teams, and handling them with aplomb. An NFL prospect, Nichols is also a possible participant in the annual East West Shrine game, which invites the top seniors in college football to take each other on in another attempt to impress pro scouts--and a national television audience--before their amateur careers come to a close.

But should his professional career come to a close earlier than anticipated, Nichols will have an undergraduate and master’s degree in engineering from Duke to lean on.

“I’d probably get into engineering to start with,” Nichols says. “I’d really like to go back to Florida or live somewhere near the water--I grew up on the water, I miss that, being away for four and-a-half years.”

He’s made the most of his time away from the ocean, however. As a result of compiling a 3.6 GPA as an undergrad, Nichols has been named an Academic All-American and a Draddy Award Finalist, which lauds excellence in academics and athletics. Furthermore, Nichols is poised to become a three-time Academic All-ACC honoree.

Undoubtedly, the individual accolades have come in droves for Nichols. Team successes have regrettably been far less common.

“As far as the win-loss record, it’s not where I envisioned it for my senior year, but me and Casey Camaro have been leaders on the defensive line and bringing along the younger guys to where we’ve got 7 or 8 guys that are playing for us on the d-line,” Nichols says. “We’ve got some jets, and trying to get things started in the right track even though the win-loss column doesn’t look like we’d like it to.”

It didn’t have to be this way for Nichols, who like so many other Duke players turned down opportunities to play at more winning programs for the chance to develop one with a mighty past marred by a recent history of losing seasons.

“The day he verbally committed to Duke, he took a call from Coach Coker at Miami,” recalls Eli’s father, John Nichols. “He told the coach that he had committed to Duke and he would not be taking his official visit to Miami. As parents we were pleased that he could see past the glamour of a football program and see what situation fit him best for now and into a future past football.”

Such considerations can struggle to assuage the disappointment of the painful losses Duke has compiled during Nichols’ tenure in Durham, however.

It can be particularly difficult when the student body often treats the program with apathy and cynicism, as indicated by the prioritization of tailgating over attending football games.

“There’s cynics and a lot of people don’t know how much time and effort we put in and how close we really are, so I don’t let them bother me,” Nichols says. “It could very easily get to someone, but we’re staying focused on what we’re trying to do. And when we get things turned around you’ll see Wallace Wade turned around and you’ll see support. We’re not winning games, I don’t blame them for not wanting to show up. It will all come in time, so I try not to worry about it.”

This optimism and patience is indicative of the leadership Duke has valued so much throughout Nichols’ tenure. It hasn’t always been easy, of course--the losses have taken their toll over the years.

But through the difficulties came lessons learned, and Nichols’ well-rounded education expanded further.

“Half-way through his second year, his only playing time was on special teams and the team was really struggling,” John Nichols says. “Eli was on the sidelines helpless as far as doing anything about it. That was the low point. I thought he may end up a Florida Gator.”

Defensive line coach Scott Brown recognized the discouragement in Nichols, and he took him under his wing. They have since developed a close friendship, built on guidance and encouragement, that ultimately reinforced the reasons why Nichols came to Duke in the first place. The onus of building a program had worn on Nichols, as it has worn on coaches and fans. Coach Brown was able to lighten the burden, and Nichols--and Duke--have benefited as a result.

But the encouragement came from Nichols’ fellow engineering students, as well.

“They organized a special tailgate at a football game where they wore his number and invited us to come by,” John Nichols remembers. “He had his own cheering section that day.”

Such is the kind of support players at other programs enjoy on a regular basis on Saturday afternoons. But as Nichols noted, it’s all about causality--when the wins come, so will the fans.

It is terribly hard being patient in the meantime, no more so than for the players and alums of the football program. Consequently, the catcalls have begun to fall once again for drastic change in the Duke football program.

When pressed on what he would suggest to Coach Roof at season’s end to continue bringing the program forward, Nichols recites a grounded refrain: Stay the course.

“I’d think I’d tell him to keep doing what he’s doing,” Nichols says. “He’s amazing on how he keeps us optimistic in tough situations and never wavers on his enthusiasm and his effort to get us going, so I’d tell him to just stick with it and don’t let up.”

Thoreau once wrote that a man who spends a lifetime fishing is not, in fact, pursuing fish. Such has been the case for Nichols and Duke football, though the hopes of a season-ending prize-catch still fester.

Arch-nemesis North Carolina soon comes into town.

“You never know what can happen with a rivalry game, everybody’s jacked up and we’re both in the same position right now, so no telling what’s going to happen,” Nichols says. “I think it’s going to be hard-fought game just like it is every year and hopefully we’ll come out on top.”

The views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of Duke University or the Duke University Department of Athletics.

Corey's Corner: Nichols in the Stream

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