Hunter Nichols joined the McKendree University football coaching staff in the summer of 2014. Nichols is a graduate assistant coach for the Bearcats and will guide the defensive line.
In his first season working with the Bearcats' defensive front four, Nichols coached one of the top defensive lines in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Sophomore defensive end Lucky Baar led all NCAA Division II players with 26 1/2 tackles for loss and 18 quarterback sacks, both of which represent new school and conference records. Baar also led NCAA Division II by averaging 1.64 sacks per game on his way to GLVC Defensive Player of the Year honors, as well as first-team Little All-America accolades from the Associated Press. Both of those honors were a first for any Bearcat student-athlete.
In addition, junior defensive end Brett Pearman followed up his first-team All-GLVC breakout season of 2013 by posting 10 tackles for loss with six sacks. The 39 sacks piled up by McKendree ranked second in the GLVC in 2014.
In his brief career, Nichols has gained coaching experience at both the high school and collegiate levels. Before coming to McKendree, he was a student assistant coach at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was an assistant defensive line and strength and conditioning coach for the Golden Eagles. Nichols also assisted the Southern Mississippi staff with camps and any football-related events.
Nichols, who comes from Hattiesburg, Miss., completed requirements for a bachelor's degree in sport coaching education from Southern Mississippi in the spring of 2014.Â
