Nuckols picks Randolph-Macon

STAUNTON
Off the football field, Pickle Nuckols looks more like a professor in making than a power back heading to college. And with a GPA just a snail sneeze under 4.0, he needs football on the next level like banks need another bailout.

The truth is, he wants football for the simplest of reasons.

“I like to play,” the Buffalo Gap senior said.

And now he knows where he’ll play in college and he won’t have to change his much-loved black and gold Bison color scheme too much.

Nuckols, who racked up 4,213 yards, 59 scores and one state title in two years on varsity, will be wearing the yellow and black of Division III Randolph-Macon this fall.

“I was first attracted to Randolph Macon because of the colors on the Web site,” he said.

As he sat on a loveseat in his father’s home, Nuckols nervously shuffled his feet back and forth as he talked about leaving a high-school community he’s loved, played, and excelled for since his days under Mitch Acord in the Augusta County Quarterback Club.

“When were younger, a bunch of us wanted to go the same college and pro team and all that,” he said. “It hasn’t played out exactly, but it’s pretty close, I guess.”

Pickle’s legend began growing during his Quarterback Club days and didn’t stop when he joined he varsity squad his junior season. In his third game on varsity during the Bison’s 2007 championship run, he ran for 277 yards and five scores against Parry McCluer. Pickle didn’t slow down after that with his career-high of 289 coming against Colonial Beach in a Group A, Division 1 state semifinal played in front of an adoring Swoope crowd.

The Bison’s final drive in the state title game against Clintwood was all Pickle all the time to seal the deal and coined the term “It’s Pickle time” that began appearing on Buffalo Gap football hoodies and T-shirts during the 2008 season.

His TD total went up from 28 to 31 his senior year, and after first making contact with RMC over e-mail, his father, Mark, sent out a highlight tape.

“Then we started getting phone calls,” said Mark Nuckols.

His decision ends a long recruiting process dominated by Division III state schools and culminates a lifelong dream of playing college football.

“It was fun at the beginning,” said Mark Nuckols.

“Then,” added Pickle, “it started to get tiring.”

Pickle joins a Yellow Jackets squad that finished 6-5 overall and 4-2 the Old Dominion Athletic Conference last season and earned a bid into the NCAA Division III tournament. The Jackets were knocked out 56-0 in the first round by eventual Stagg Bowl champion Mount Union.

“I like the coaches,” Pickle said. “They all seem pretty nice.”

His mother, Michelle, is excited he’ll keep on playing and by the kind words college coaches have said about her son.

“He’s as smart as he is a good football player,” she said. “And we’re excited. We really are.”

Yet despite being a homebody who loves driving to Churchville and eating at the Tastee Freeze, Pickle said he has no fears about being over 90 minutes away from home.

“Not really,” he said. “This is just the next step.”

And it’s a step that could lead him back home once he has his degree. Pickle has a lot of ideas about what he wants to do with his post-college life. Maybe get into environmental things and do some teaching. Of course, he would mind a coaching gig or two.

He also has an idea for Churchville.

“But don’t put that in the paper,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t want anybody stealing my idea.”

Looks like you’ll just have to wait and see.