Miami-Ohio coach Chuck Martin claims Alabama 'illegally recruited' kicker Graham Nicholson
Chuck Martin was very honest about the loss of Graham Nicholson, the former kicker at Miami (OH), this offseason in the transfer portal.
In a conversation at fall practice for the Redhawks, Martin corrected something quickly when it was phrased that their team had lost their kicker. In his blunt wording of it, Alabama, who Nicholson committed to out of the portal, actually stole him away after recruiting him against the rules.
“We didn’t lose him. He’s at Alabama. We know exactly where he’s at,” said Martin. “Again, you media people – it’s all pretend. Like, no. Alabama stole our kicker. They illegally recruited our kicker and stole him from us. That’s a fact.”
“We act like it’s not – we live in this la la world like, hey, let’s not talk reality,” Martin said. “I don’t know why. Everybody knows what’s going on.”
The Crimson Tide apparently weren’t the only ones attempting to do so with Nicholson either.
“So, yeah, Alabama stole our kicker. A couple of other schools tried to steal him,” Martin added.
Martin had echoed similar frustrations in a conversation for an article earlier this month with On3’s Pete Nakos.
“We spent every single day of December and January trying to keep our guys, trying to fight to convince our guys to stay,” Martin told him. “Even second semester, they don’t stop recruiting them, even if you make it through that first portal window. So, that’s what becomes of the offseason.”
“…It’s weird because you don’t really know if the guys you’re coaching in the spring are even going to be here in the fall. Graham kicked all spring…The summer hits and it’s like, ‘OK, we finally have our team,’” Martin said.
Nicholson spent three seasons at Miami (OH) in becoming the best kicker in school history. In total, he has made 60 of his 71 field-goal attempts at 84.5%, which is best-ever for the program. He also made 97 of 104 extra points at 93.3%.
That includes last season where Nicholson made a program-record of 27 field goals at a rate of 96.4% after missing just one all year. That earned him the honor as the best kicker in college football as the recipient of the Lou Groza Award.
However, in the spring, Nicholson entered the portal in what Martin is now alleging as tampering. Upon his entry, he was the No. 24 kicker in On3’s 2024 Transfer Portal Top Players. He then committed to ‘Bama in April during the spring cycle.
With his addition, Alabama got a placekicker that is set to be a potential all-conference and possible All-American. As for Miami (OH), they lost that same caliber of player, especially with how automatic he was after his junior year there.
This is as direct as it can get from Martin while also being a serious allegation against the Tide. He’s just the latest to have his frustrations with the actions within the portal, though, especially if he feels or knows that it played out this way with Nicholson.