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Grizzlies senior a unique two-way star
He stands 6 foot 3 inches tall, tips the scale at 300 pounds and has a last name that just sounds mean. But don’t let that be misleading – Mission Hills senior Eddie Nuckols is actually a soft-spoken, pleasant guy.
“When you see a guy like that, you don’t necessarily think that he is going to be gentle. He’s got a wonderful smile and a wonderful heart,” said Mission Hills head coach Chris Hauser.
Hauser said he saw two-way star’s personality flourish while Nuckols worked with kids during summer football camps. And the Mission Hills’ student body seems to like him– Nuckols was named Homecoming King at halftime of the Grizzlies’ Oct. 17 game against La Costa Canyon.
According to his head coach, Nuckols also does his part to lighten the mood at practices. Hauser even gives Nuckols credit for the accuracy of the “Coach Hauser Chapstick,” an imitation one of the head coach’s regular habits.
“He does a pretty good imitation of me. I’ll be addressing the team and all of a sudden I’ll see kids chuckling and smiling. I’ll look over my shoulder and there he is mimicking me,” Hauser said.
Mission Hills senior Eddie Nuckols has received offers from Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, Minnesota and San Diego State. The two-way star has a unique blend of size and athletic ability.
Without a doubt, Nuckols’ personality contradicts his intimidating frame. Even more contradictory given his size is the three-year varsity letterman’s athleticism.
“There’s plenty of football players out there that have size,” Hauser said. “There’s not a lot of six-foot-three-inch, 300 (pounders) that are so light on their feet. That’s what separates him – he moves so well for being at that size.”
And Nuckols is not just an athletic lineman. On offense he lines up at fullback and has two rushing touchdowns this year. On either side of the ball, Nuckols enjoys hitting on both sides of the ball.
“It’s fun. I like it because defensive line we get to hit – we strike the center pretty much every play,” Nuckols said. “And if I go in at fullback, whether it’s running the ball or it’s block, there’s still a little contact with that, so I enjoy contact.”
Hauser said the idea of playing a 300-pound linemen at fullback came from Nuckols’ freshman year and his basketball background.
“His freshman coach used him at tight end and then he started putting him as a fullback to block,” Hauser said. “When he comes up, we’re pretty solid at offensive line, so why should I put a 74 on him instead of a 44? We just developed our jumbo package with him at fullback and it’s been in place for the last three years.”
Nuckols’ rare combination of size and athleticism has turned the heads of scouts and recruiters. Earlier in the month, Nuckols made his official visit to Colorado.
“It was exciting,” Nuckols said. “I don’t travel much, so it was fun seeing another part of the country. It’s a beautiful place.”
Nuckols said he plans to visit Arizona and Arizona State later in the season. According to Scout.com, Nuckols has also received offers from San Diego State and Minnesota.
Hauser said Nuckols’ versatility makes him marketable to Division I schools. The Grizzlies’ coach thinks Nuckols’ can fit into either a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme. And unlike most his size, Hauser thinks Nuckols could play every snap at the next level.
“I don’t think he has to be a substitute guy in a special pass situation,” Hauser said. “His athleticism and his foot speed is going to allow him to stay in the game.”
In his free time, Nuckols likes to hang out with his friends and play NCAA Football 2009. His teams in the college football video game are Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
Although Nuckols said he does not model his game after anyone in the professional ranks, two pro defensive tackles Nuckols likes to watch are the Chargers’ Jamal Williams and the Ravens’ Haloti Ngata.
“Jamal Williams is a beast,” Nuckols said. “He just takes up two or three blockers every time and still makes the tackle and finds a way to get it done.”
The same could be said on the field for Nuckols. But there is no way the Chargers defensive tackle could be as nice as this guy.
Grizzlies senior a unique two-way star
He stands 6 foot 3 inches tall, tips the scale at 300 pounds and has a last name that just sounds mean. But don’t let that be misleading – Mission Hills senior Eddie Nuckols is actually a soft-spoken, pleasant guy.
“When you see a guy like that, you don’t necessarily think that he is going to be gentle. He’s got a wonderful smile and a wonderful heart,” said Mission Hills head coach Chris Hauser.
Hauser said he saw two-way star’s personality flourish while Nuckols worked with kids during summer football camps. And the Mission Hills’ student body seems to like him– Nuckols was named Homecoming King at halftime of the Grizzlies’ Oct. 17 game against La Costa Canyon.
According to his head coach, Nuckols also does his part to lighten the mood at practices. Hauser even gives Nuckols credit for the accuracy of the “Coach Hauser Chapstick,” an imitation one of the head coach’s regular habits.
“He does a pretty good imitation of me. I’ll be addressing the team and all of a sudden I’ll see kids chuckling and smiling. I’ll look over my shoulder and there he is mimicking me,” Hauser said.
Mission Hills senior Eddie Nuckols has received offers from Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, Minnesota and San Diego State. The two-way star has a unique blend of size and athletic ability.
Without a doubt, Nuckols’ personality contradicts his intimidating frame. Even more contradictory given his size is the three-year varsity letterman’s athleticism.
“There’s plenty of football players out there that have size,” Hauser said. “There’s not a lot of six-foot-three-inch, 300 (pounders) that are so light on their feet. That’s what separates him – he moves so well for being at that size.”
And Nuckols is not just an athletic lineman. On offense he lines up at fullback and has two rushing touchdowns this year. On either side of the ball, Nuckols enjoys hitting on both sides of the ball.
“It’s fun. I like it because defensive line we get to hit – we strike the center pretty much every play,” Nuckols said. “And if I go in at fullback, whether it’s running the ball or it’s block, there’s still a little contact with that, so I enjoy contact.”
Hauser said the idea of playing a 300-pound linemen at fullback came from Nuckols’ freshman year and his basketball background.
“His freshman coach used him at tight end and then he started putting him as a fullback to block,” Hauser said. “When he comes up, we’re pretty solid at offensive line, so why should I put a 74 on him instead of a 44? We just developed our jumbo package with him at fullback and it’s been in place for the last three years.”
Nuckols’ rare combination of size and athleticism has turned the heads of scouts and recruiters. Earlier in the month, Nuckols made his official visit to Colorado.
“It was exciting,” Nuckols said. “I don’t travel much, so it was fun seeing another part of the country. It’s a beautiful place.”
Nuckols said he plans to visit Arizona and Arizona State later in the season. According to Scout.com, Nuckols has also received offers from San Diego State and Minnesota.
Hauser said Nuckols’ versatility makes him marketable to Division I schools. The Grizzlies’ coach thinks Nuckols’ can fit into either a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme. And unlike most his size, Hauser thinks Nuckols could play every snap at the next level.
“I don’t think he has to be a substitute guy in a special pass situation,” Hauser said. “His athleticism and his foot speed is going to allow him to stay in the game.”
In his free time, Nuckols likes to hang out with his friends and play NCAA Football 2009. His teams in the college football video game are Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
Although Nuckols said he does not model his game after anyone in the professional ranks, two pro defensive tackles Nuckols likes to watch are the Chargers’ Jamal Williams and the Ravens’ Haloti Ngata.
“Jamal Williams is a beast,” Nuckols said. “He just takes up two or three blockers every time and still makes the tackle and finds a way to get it done.”
The same could be said on the field for Nuckols. But there is no way the Chargers defensive tackle could be as nice as this guy.