'We are family'

Papa_Bull · January 29, 2005

College football

'We are family'

Treating recruits like new members of the USF football family has paid off for Nicholas.

By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer

Published January 29, 2005

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TAMPA - Stephen Nicholas knows the highlights of a high school recruit's official campus visit, from the food on a cruise around downtown Tampa to the tour of Raymond James Stadium, to meeting coach Jim Leavitt.

His secret for convincing coveted recruits isn't anything flashy, but rather the opposite: Make them feel at home and show them the closeness of the USF players.

"Basically, you want to be a brother, a friend to them," said Nicholas, a sophomore linebacker from Jacksonville who takes pride in being a frequent recruiting host. "That's what they'll be when they get here ... family."

Selling recruits on USF isn't difficult, with a future in the Big East, the chance to play home games in an NFL stadium and join a program that's 55-33 in its eight-year history.

More than 90 percent of USF's player are from Florida. Nicholas can appreciate the advantage the Bulls have in climate, having made an official visit to Connecticut.

"It was cold. First time I'd ever seen snow," Nicholas said. "I'm a Florida boy, so it kind of ruined it right there."

Given a night to show a recruit the Tampa nightlife, Nicholas plays it low-key, usually winding up at a teammate's apartment, doing the things he does on any other weekend.

"It's whatever's really going on," Nicholas said. "I'll take them to a player's house, just to see how we are. They see everybody's tight."

He still remembers the players - future and current teammates such as J.R. Reed, Cedric King and Jason Allen - he met on his official visit to USF. And as he does on the football field, Nicholas often has his man covered, but still is able to help a teammate matched with another player.

"When I host, I try for more than just the guy I'm paired with. I try to get everybody," Nicholas said. "And if they come here, it feels good to know I had a part in that."

[Last modified January 29, 2005, 01:03:16]

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/01/29/Sports/_We_are_family_.shtml