Stephen Nicholas

For the actor, see Stephen Nicholas (actor).

Stephen Leron Nicholas (born May 1, 1983) is an American professional football coach and former player who is the defensive quality control coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played seven seasons in the NFL as a linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons.

Stephen Nicholas

Nicholas with the Atlanta Falcons in 2013
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position:	Defensive quality control coach
Personal information
Born:	(1983-05-01) May 1, 1983 (age 41) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	236 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lee (Jacksonville)
College:	South Florida
NFL draft:	2007: 4th round, 109th pick
Career history
As a player:
Atlanta Falcons (2007–2013)
As a coach:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2018–present) Defensive quality control
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 378 Sacks: 8.0 Forced fumbles: 5 Fumble recoveries: 4 Interceptions: 2 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Nicholas played college football for the South Florida Bulls. He was selected by the Falcons in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft.

Early life

Nicholas played high school football at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida. As a senior, he was a class 3A all-state linebacker and was invited to play in the Shrine Bowl.

College career

Nicholas played college football at the University of South Florida. During his senior year, he was a Big East first-team selection. He finished his college career with 326 tackles, 20 sacks, and a school record 53.5 tackles for loss.

Professional career

Nicholas was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft.^[1] He finished his rookie year with 37 tackles and one sack. In 2008, he saw action in all 16 games during the season. In 2009, he started 14 games, totaling 82 tackles, 3 sacks. He started his first career game against Miami on September 13. Nicholas was released by the Falcons after seven seasons on February 5, 2014.^[2]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2007	ATL	13	0	33	29	4	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
2008	ATL	16	0	20	16	4	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
2009	ATL	16	13	80	65	15	3.0	4	0	0	0	0	3	1	1	0	0
2010	ATL	16	11	78	64	14	0.0	2	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
2011	ATL	10	8	35	17	18	0.0	4	0	0	0	0	1	2	1	2	0
2012	ATL	16	15	97	72	25	2.0	5	1	3	0	3	4	1	1	0	0
2013	ATL	14	3	35	21	14	1.0	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0
		101	50	378	284	94	8.0	18	2	3	0	3	12	5	4	2	0

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2008	ATL	1	0	2	1	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2010	ATL	1	1	5	4	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
2012	ATL	2	2	8	5	3	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
		4	3	15	10	5	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0

Coaching career

In 2018, Nicholas was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be their defensive quality control coach.

Personal life

Stephen Nicholas married then Irene Ledbetter (2007) and have 4 children. Nicholas is also a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.