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S Donte Nicholson feels equally comfortable in coverage or rushing the pass

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Choosing the Right Path

Jun 14, 2005 - It was early in 2003 and Donte Nicholson, fresh off his second straight conference defensive MVP award at Mount San Antonio Junior College, was deliberating over where to continue his college playing career.

A white-hot juco prospect – and juco transfers are part of the lifeblood of many major college programs – Nicholson had narrowed the choices down to juggernauts USC and Oklahoma. A California kid, Nicholson might have seemed destined to be a Trojan, but he picked the Sooners instead, believing he would start, well, sooner.

Two years later, USC finished off a national championship season by beating Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Wrong decision? Not for Nicholson, who was prophetic in his choice and is now perfectly aligned to continue his career on the next level.

“I just felt that I would have a better opportunity to play from the start at Oklahoma than I did at SC,” said Nicholson. “I thought I could make more of an impact there, and it worked out for me.”

Nicholson stepped right into the starting lineup on what many considered the nation’s best defense, opening all 27 games during his two years in Norman. He was the Big 12’s Newcomer of the Year as a junior and a first-team all-conference choice as a senior. During those 27 games, he racked up 162 tackles, eight sacks, three interceptions, 10 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

"When I first got here, the transition, learning the defense was kind of tough. But getting around the guys and the coaches and getting used to everybody is making it easy."

Oh, and the Sooners didn’t fare too badly, either, playing in two consecutive national championship games and losing only three of those 27 games. It was a good choice for Nicholson made better by the fact that it propelled him into the NFL Draft, where he was selected in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Like his transition two years ago, Nicholson is now trying to make another smooth step up in levels, running with a defense that some would consider the NFL’s best of the last decade. Fortunately, his junior year at Oklahoma gave him a bit of a head start, as the Sooners ran a defense somewhat similar to the Bucs’ in 2003.

“My junior year, the system at Oklahoma was a lot like this one,” he said. “We changed it up my senior year just because we got a new DB coach, but I’m familiar with this system. I believe that I can fit into it well, once I get it down.”

Nicholson is only in his first month of working in Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin’s schemes, but the early results have been promising. Watching from the sideline, a Buccaneer scout described the rookie safety as “cerebral,” complimenting how quickly he is picking up the nuances of the job.

“I feel like it’s going pretty good right now,” said Nicholson. “When I first got here, the transition, learning the defense was kind of tough. But getting around the guys and the coaches and getting used to everybody is making it easy."

As far as scouting reports go, Nicholson is also considered a very hard hitter, but that’s a skill that is hard to read in non-contact, off-season workouts. It is perhaps better reflected in his robust tackle and sack statistics at Oklahoma.

Nicholson doesn’t pay attention to those scouting reports. He wants to refine all aspects of his game, and thinks he has a good base from which to become a productive NFL player.

“I believe I’m an all-around defensive back, a prototype safety,” he said. “I don’t read what other people say about me, but I think I’m a good safety.”

The Bucs obviously think so, too, and Nicholson’s second-day status during draft weekend should not be considered a negative. Tampa Bay’s scouting department has proven repeatedly that it can find good players for its system well after the first round. Safety starter Jermaine Phillips was a fifth-round pick in 2002, and Phillips’ potential running mate in 2005, Super Bowl XXXVII MVP Dexter Jackson, was a fourth-round selection in 1999. The Bucs are also pleased with 2004 fourth-round safety Will Allen and got four good years out of 2001 fourth-round safety John Howell.

Jackson’s route back to the starting lineup opened up when last year’s starter, Dwight Smith, signed with the New Orleans Saints as a free agent in early March. Of course, he won’t get that job without a healthy dose of competition, and Nicholson figures to be in that battle, along with Allen. Technically, it is the free safety slot that is now open, as Phillips is moving to strong safety, but those two positions are close to interchangeable in the Bucs’ scheme. Nicholson could find significant playing time earlier than expected if he can prove to be the sort of all-around playmaker he was at Oklahoma.

“I think I can help in a lot of ways,” he said. “I did a lot of blitzing at Oklahoma in my junior year, but then we changed things up last year and I was in coverage more. I’m willing to do whatever they want me to do here.”