SPRINGDALE — Isaiah Nichols had family in town who had hoped to watch him play in Springdale High’s spring football game toward the end of his junior year.
But Nichols’ time on the field at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium that night in 2017 was brief. The defensive lineman saw only one series in the intrasquad scrimmage, and he was noticeably upset upon realizing he wouldn’t reenter and have the opportunity to put on a show for his relatives.
Bulldogs coach Zak Clark, a former quarterback at Arkansas from 2000-01, had his reasons for limiting Nichols’ reps. In the moment, Nichols couldn’t wrap his mind around being shut down early, but Clark’s decision spoke volumes about the caliber of player Nichols was becoming.
Months earlier, the Razorbacks’ now-redshirt sophomore put together a breakout season for Springdale, finishing with 54 tackles — 12.5 for loss — and 2.5 sacks. He had developed into one of the most disruptive forces in the state’s largest classification, and, in Clark’s eyes, having him stand on the sideline was the best course of action if the Bulldogs were to get anything accomplished offensively.
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“It’s the only time he got, like, disrespectful,” Clark said. “I could tell he was mad and was moping around — stuff he never did. Like, he wouldn’t put his helmet on. Just little things. Afterward, we call it up and we leave. I call him over and he wouldn’t come.”
Moments later, Clark tracked Nichols down and attempted to explain that there would be ample opportunities for his family to see him in action in the future. Nichols heard his coach’s pitch then unhappily walked across the street for the team’s postgame meal in the program’s two-story fieldhouse.
But before Clark reached the fieldhouse, he was met by Nichols and his mother, Susan.
“His mom walked him back over (to the stadium),” Clark recalled. “She said, ‘I don’t know what he said, but that’s not how he’s doing to behave. He’s not going to act like that to you.’ She made him apologize before she even knew what he was upset about. She just saw the way he had interacted.
“That was the only time he even got remotely disrespectful, and I didn’t even think it was bad.”
It remains and will always be Clark’s favorite story in his time coaching the standout. That fall, his senior season, Nichols was dominant, terrorizing opposing offenses to the tune of 73 tackles — including 30.5 for loss — and 8.5 sacks. He was also credited with 49 quarterback hurries.
Isaiah Nichols (93) reacts following a score in the first half during a football game on Friday, November 3, 2017 at Springdale High School. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Photo/Charlie Kaijo)
Aside from that spring-game moment, Nichols has by all accounts been a model for off-the-field character and one of consistency on the football field. It is one of the primary reasons he is in line to potentially earn the first start of his college career against No. 4 Georgia on Saturday.
Either Nichols or Xavier Kelly, the graduate transfer from Clemson, will line up alongside team captain Jonathan Marshall at defensive tackle.
“I think he’s one you can count on,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “He’s very consistent. We’ve been playing him inside at both positions, the nose and the three, and when we go into multiple fronts he’s playing other positions as well. He’s done a really nice job, and again, I think his biggest (trait) — if I thought about him — would be consistency.
“He’s a very consistent player, one you know you can count on. I’ve been really proud to see his development.”
Clark had received positive feedback on Nichols’ performance this preseason from Pittman and Razorbacks director of high school and NFL relations Bobby Allen. And based on his former star’s relentless effort and drive, he is not surprised that Nichols finds himself in the mix for a starting job and, at the very least, a significant role.
He may still be a tad undersized despite his weight gains, but Nichols’ motor is something that can’t be taught.
“It’s rare, and Isaiah is one of those kids,” Clark said. “He is going to give you his best every single day, and he’s going to show up and he’s going to work hard with a good attitude every day. Obviously, that’s rare. I mean, I know I have bad days, and most people do.
“But Isaiah is so competitive and he’s so consistent that he’s really easy to coach, and that makes it fun.”
Through 15 games played at Arkansas, Nichols has totaled 18 tackles, including 17 last season. Three of his four multi-tackle games in 2019 came in SEC play.
Nichols, though, couldn’t care less about statistics, be it his own or anyone else’s. His focus is being the best version of himself and a player the Razorbacks’ coaching staff considers valuable on a weekly basis.
“I just want to be undeniable,” he said this preseason. “I want to have a position that's undeniable to be on the field. I just want to give to this team all that I can give. Whatever comes of that, comes of that.
“I don't think I'm quite where I want to be yet, thinking longterm, but I've definitely had training that has put me in a better position than I've been in before.”
Being a former Razorback, Clark typically watches Arkansas football games as a fan. Although the program has fallen on hard times in recent years, he has an added reason to tune in because of Nichols. He still remembers vividly their first meeting after Nichols arrived at Springdale from LISA Academy in Little Rock.
He told the then-raw freshman who first played soccer and was trained as a goalkeeper that he could blossom into a big-time Division I football prospect. The look on Nichols’ face was disbelief, Clark said, but he wasn’t overwhelmed by that statement.
The door is now open for Nichols to seize the opportunity he has been working for.
“I imagine those traits that he had for us for those three years are the same ones he’s displaying now,” Clark said. “That’s why there’s no question that he’s gotten better. I remember when he was still being recruited saying that I felt like his best football was still in front of him. I think there’s no question that’s kind of where he is right now.
“You’re going to continue to see improvement from him. His best football is in front of him.”