achievement; and he was tabbed as a nominee for
the 2015 Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award,
which goes to a student-athlete who displays
courage on or off the field, including overcom-
ing an injury or physical handicap, preventing a
disaster or living through hardship.
He also earned his degree in sociology in May
— but he wanted more, not so much for himself
but for his team.
So when the Wahoos hit some early bumps in
the road this season, Nicholson was there helping
to make sure guys didn't get despondent.
"Our players," he said, "our team, has a dif-
ferent type of chemistry that I really remember
from my first-year team. Guys just don't give up
on each other. Things go wrong on either side of
the ball, we stay together and we're united. That's
really helped us in a lot of situations."
Nicholson, who credits his family back in Vir-
ginia Beach for always supporting him and being
the biggest influence in his life, is someone that
players get to know easily. He's one they reach out
to, and it's a big reason why a pair of his younger
high school teammates, including running back
Taquan Mizzell in 2013 and safety Quin Blanding
in 2014, followed in his footsteps from Bayside
High School to UVA.
The family that he's always had now has
Nicholson entered November with 36 career passes defended, which ranked first in the ACC among
active players and sixth nationally.
PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA
