Alabama 'Stole' Former Miami (OH) Placekicker Through The Transfer Portal, According To Coach Chuck Martin

In what could only be a scene from one of the Jason Bourne movies, Miami (OH) head coach Chuck Martin says that Alabama ‘stole’ their former placekicker Graham Nicholson in the off-season. 

Coming off a fantastic season at Miami of Ohio, Graham Nicholson decided he would jump into the transfer portal and look for a new home. His 2023 season was so good that he was given the Lou Groza Award, which is for the best placekicker in college football. 

So, it's not hard to imagine that other schools would come calling when he placed his name into the portal database. For Miami's Chuck Martin, he was not going to shy away from the commentary surrounding the portal, and the early contact some teams make to secure a player. 

During an interview that was uploaded to the Miami (OH) football page, the head coach accused Alabama of tampering with Graham Nicholson and illegally recruiting him, along with other teams. When asked about losing Nicholson to the portal, Chuck Martin did not hold back when discussing how they had to replace their kicker. 

"We didn't lose him, he's at Alabama. We know exactly where he's at," Chuck Martin said. "You media people, it's all pretend. No, Alabama stole our kicker, they illegally recruited our kicker and stole him from us. That's a fact, but that's college football." 

"We live in this La-La-World, let's not talk reality. I don't know why, every coach knows what's going on. Yea, Alabama stole our kicker, a couple of other schools tried to steal him."

Alabama's Kalen DeBoer Responds To Accusations Of Tampering

Following the accusations being made public on Thursday, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer met with the media following practice. DeBoer was asked specifically about the comments made by Miami (OH) head coach Chuck Martin. 

"I don't know anything about that, I guess that comment," Kalen DeBoer responded. "Yea, I mean he (Nicholson) entered the portal and we reached out to him. So, that's how it goes, right? We did everything you're supposed to."

Ok, that'll do. We all know how college athletics works now with the transfer portal. There is a reason why some players have a ‘do not contact’ tag besides their name once they enter. This happens, and it's not as if it's going to stop. 

I would be interested to hear what Kirk Ferentz has to say, since he will reportedly be suspended for one game, due to a recruiting violation involving quarterback Cade McNamara. 

Thank goodness we know where Graham Nicholson is at, and we didn’t need to call Liam Neeson or Matt Damon to track him down after being stolen from Miami's campus. 

Hey, at least Chuck Martin isn't afraid to call out other schools for messing with his players.