STEPHEN NICHOLAS
  • TITLE
     
    Quality Control - Defense
  • EMAIL
     
    slnichol@usf.edu
  • PHONE
     
    (813) 974-7170
 

A former USF great and longtime NFL linebacker, Stephen Nicholas joined the Bulls’ coaching staff in August 2015 as a quality control analyst for the defense.

A former NFL and USF All-Big East linebacker, Nicholas joined the Bulls’ coaching staff after completing a seven-year NFL career as a linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons. He was a fourth-round NFL Draft pick by the Falcons in 2007, the second-ever Bulls linebacker drafted.

He went on to play his entire career in Atlanta, leading the team with a career-high 97 tackles in 2012. Nicholas played in 101 career games for the Falcons and logged 378 career tackles, posting 70 or more in three seasons. In 2009, he started 14 games, totaling 82 tackles and 3 sacks. He was named a special teams captain for the Falcons and a Falcons Community All-Star.

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Nicholas ranks fourth on the USF career tackles chart with 326 stops posted between 2002-06. He finished his career with then USF records of 20 sacks and 53.5 tackles for loss (he currently ranks second in both categories). In his senior season of 2006, Nicholas led USF with 7.5 sacks as the Bulls posted a 9-4 record and a victory in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. He played in two bowl games during his career, including USF’s first in the 2005 Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Nicholas played high school football at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida. As a senior he was a class 3A all-state linebacker and was invited to play in the Shrine Bowl.

Nicholas attended the 2013 NFL-NCAA Coaches Academy and began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant with Benedict College (2010-13).