Marshall University Athletics
Nichols Joins Marshall Football Staff
2/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 15, 2006
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University Head Football Coach Mark Snyder announced Wednesday that Paul Nichols has accepted an assistant coaching position with the Thundering Herd.
"I was very impressed with Paul during my time at Ohio State and I know that he is going to be an asset to our coaching staff," Snyder said. "He is a very intelligent young man who relates extremely well with players and is well respected. He is also from the Atlanta area which has been and will continue to be an important recruiting area for our program."
Nichols, 25, will serve as Marshall's defensive secondary coach.
"It is a privilege to have the opportunity to coach at Marshall University and to be a part of Coach Snyder's staff," Nichols said. "Marshall has a great football tradition and I am excited about working with our players and coaches as we compete for a Conference USA Championship."
Nichols just completed his second season as a defensive graduate assistant coach at Ohio State where he assisted with the defensive line and defensive backs over the last two seasons. His responsibilities also included organizing and coaching the offensive scout team, breaking down opponent game film, creating weekly scouting reports, and handling defensive signals on game day from the sideline.
The Dunwoody, Ga. (Marist H.S.), native graduated from Davidson with a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in History in 2003. At Davidson, Nichols set school records for career passing yards (5,822), completions (465) and touchdown passes (51) and compiled a 22-6 record as a starting quarterback, which stands as the best mark in Wildcat history. As a sophomore he led Davidson to a perfect 10-0 record and a Pioneer League Championship, marking the school's first undefeated season in history.
Nichols was named first team All-Pioneer League, first team Pioneer League All-Academic, and honorable mention All-American by Don Hansen's Football Gazette as a senior when he ranked among the top 25 in the nation in both passing efficiency rating (136.49) and yards passing per game (218.9).
