Earlier this offseason, the Alabama Crimson Tide made a big addition from the transfer portal as they added reigning Lou Groza winner Graham Nicholson out of the transfer portal as he left the Miami RedHawks. But Miami head coach Chuck Martin does not seem to think that Alabama’s recruitment of Nicholson was all that honest.
During a recent interview ahead of the season, Martin was asked about “losing” his kicker this offseason, and he responded to the question by claiming that Alabama had actually “illegally recruited” Graham Nicholson and “stole him from us.”
“We didn’t lose him. He’s at Alabama. We know exactly where he’s at,” Martin said when asked about Nicholson. “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.”
Impossible not to love @Martin_Miami_HC. Alabama stole our kicker! Let's call it what it is! pic.twitter.com/kd64PMXPwk
— Jed DeMuesy (@JedDeMuesy) August 22, 2024
“We act like it’s not – we live in this la la world like, hey, let’s not talk reality. I don’t know why. Everybody knows what’s going on. So, yeah, Alabama stole our kicker. A couple of other schools tried to steal him.”
Needless to say, this accusation led to a lot of reactions on social media.
“we didn’t lose him, we know exactly where he is” is a BAR https://t.co/Ns2pUfvwb4
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) August 22, 2024
Absolutely love the transparency. Happening everywhere, but programs don't want to talk about it. https://t.co/Lu38AVGpVd
— From the Hawkeye of the Storm (@FromTheHawkeye) August 22, 2024
Call it what it is coach!! https://t.co/LueQvxv6z9
— chuck martins vest (@WiiUGamer1978) August 22, 2024
Top-tier stuff from a head coach. Need more of this in college football. https://t.co/zlVGKrGtAi
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) August 22, 2024
“They illegally recruited our kicker and stole him from us.” Chuck Martin calling out Alabama. https://t.co/Jt59vPeWSG
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) August 22, 2024
“We didn’t lose him, he’s at Alabama. We know exactly where he is at … Alabama stole our kicker.” 😂 https://t.co/VyvdjbKGPm
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) August 22, 2024
Absolute gold from Chuck Martin. “We didn’t lose him. He’s at Alabama. We know exactly where he’s at.” 😂 https://t.co/WbOA6KvuLS
— Max Olson (@max_olson) August 22, 2024
It’s easy to see why Martin was upset. Nicholson was the top kicker in the country last season, making all but one of his 27 field goal attempts, hitting every single field goal from under 40 yards. But now, he’ll be at Alabama after the Crimson Tide lured him away from Miami.
