Samples of my work and experience

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Résumé

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With a primary basis of play-by-play, I’ve included samples of my broadcasting in SoundCloud and on YouTube.

Through SoundCloud, you’ll find links to my work in high school football, ad production, and snippets from podcasts and sports talk radio.

For YouTube, you can see player interviews and Tennessee practice clips for Sports Illustrated, more play-by-play work, and even some clips from “Smoky Mountain Samples,” the food show I hosted for Mystic Mountain Media in the fall of 2019.

Jake Nichols SoundCloud links:

https://soundcloud.com/user-827948966

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/TyzLpozgxyVH8mkC7

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/FBTFEWhLXtGvmSFy7

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/6MN8rHDrktF8GCoi6

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/rmghoBtr5Wfbu7xc9

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/Wboyu94GJxESkJWN7

Jake Nichols YouTube link:

https://youtube.com/channel/UCif5pki5IcqXEMxeGZknxFg

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Writing Samples

From game recaps and recruiting analysis to basketball columns and feature stories — scroll down to find examples of my written work.

No. 1 Tennessee ‘out-toughed’ in streak-snapping loss to No. 5 Kentucky

In a dark concourse underneath Rupp Arena late Saturday night, Tennessee senior guard Admiral Schofield could only shrug.

As the final tones of “My Old Kentucky Home” drifted within earshot, Schofield gave a pained smile as he analyzed the top-ranked Vols’ performance against the Wildcats.

“They out-rebounded us, they ‘out-toughed’ us, and the way we came out, the way we played, is not who we are,” Schofield said.

In front of the third-largest crowd in Rupp Arena history, No. 5 Kentucky rolled over No. 1 Tennessee 86-69.

The loss snaps a 19-game winning streak for Tennessee. Prior to Saturday’s matchup against the Wildcats, the Vols’ run stretched all the way back to Nov. 23.

On that night in Brooklyn, No. 5 Tennessee fell to second-ranked Kansas 87-81.

After the Vols’ loss to the Jayhawks, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes called his team’s play “antsy, jumpy” and “too emotional.”

But after his team’s sobering defeat against the Wildcats, Barnes’ reasoning was exactly the opposite.

“Our number one emphasis was ‘let’s get it going, let’s do what we do,’ and we didn’t do it at all,” Barnes said. “They dominated us in every way we could have been dominated. All we wanted to do was try to get ourselves playing together and we just didn’t do that. I thought it was the most selfish that we’ve been all year.”

That “selfish” play put the Vols in an offensive hole, but solid performances from Kentucky sophomore P.J. Washington and freshman Keldon Johnson buried Tennessee as well.

Washington led the Wildcats with 23 points, including all seven of Kentucky’s first points of the night. Johnson notched 19 points of his own, including 11 consecutive points in the first half.

Those buckets boosted Kentucky to a 37-31 lead at halftime, and at that point, Tennessee had been doing just enough to hang around.

But a 14-0 run for the Wildcats set the tone for the second half.

Besides Washington and Johnson, Kentucky also got a large contribution from Tyler Herro, who finished with 15 points.

Two of those points came on a shot the freshman missed then put back with a vengeance before flexing in celebration. Herro finished with 13 rebounds to lead Kentucky on the boards. In total, UK out-rebounded the Vols 39-26.

Barnes was less than pleased.

“We’ve been telling them for two and a half weeks now that we need to rebound the ball better,” he said. “We haven’t, and there are good enough coaches in this league that see this type of stuff. We kept telling our guys that sooner or later it’s going to bite us, and it bit us.”

The rebounding difference was due in part to Tennessee’s foul trouble. Kyle Alexander fouled out with eight minutes to play, and Schofield’s fifth foul sent him to the bench shortly thereafter.

“Well, we need Kyle (Alexander) to play because he gives us that length,” Barnes said. “If we’re going to go with a smaller lineup, we need to follow our scouting report. Obviously, they whooped us inside, and that’s what we tried to do, as well.”

While the Vols didn’t get enough from any one player, Kentucky finished with four scorers in double digits.

Aside from Johnson (19), Washington (23) and Herro (15), Reid Travis notched 11 points, eight rebounds and one assist.

Early on, Washington’s seven-point streak came in between baskets from Bone, Schofield and Grant Williams.

Williams proved one of Tennessee’s lone bright spots on the night, as he finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists, but he also had three turnovers.

After the matchup, the National Player of the Year candidate gave a similar account as Schofield for what went wrong.

“They ‘out-physicaled’ us tonight,” Williams said. “That’s not our identity. We have always been the tougher team. For that to happen, it shows we were phonies tonight.”

Jordan Bone led the Vols with 19 points, six assists and a rebound. Like Williams, though, Tennessee’s point guard also sacrificed three turnovers, and Barnes was quick to note Bone’s effect on a sluggish Vols offense.

“He’s the guy that determines if we play fast,” Barnes said. “He’s the guy that when he starts playing fast, we start playing faster. He didn’t.“

Schofield rounded out the double-digit scoring for Tennessee, as he finished with 17 points and six rebounds.

Late in the second half, chants of “Overrated” began to circulate from the Kentucky student section. Wildcats head coach John Calipari quieted the crowd quickly, though, shouting “No!” while pumping his hands downward.

“I know how good Tennessee is and that’s why I told our fans, enough of the ‘they’re overrated,’” Calipari said. “They’re not overrated. Probably underrated. People don’t realize.”

While the Vols’ four-week stint atop the polls will end on Monday, the season still rolls on for Tennessee.

And Williams said that the loss could end up benefiting UT more than people realize.

“We kind of need this, I believe, though,” he said. “We needed to be humbled. I feel like we had a sense of entitlement. But now we realize we have to compete.”

“We’re going to continue to grow from this,” Bone added. “It wasn’t a goal to be No. 1; we want something bigger. We still have a lot of basketball left and a lot of opportunities to grow as a team, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

The Vols’ first chance to respond comes on Tuesday, as Tennessee will host Vanderbilt at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Tip against the Commodores is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be shown on ESPN.

Dickson County linebacker inks future with Cumberland University

When looking at Dickson County linebacker Gavin Meadows yesterday as he signed to play college football, one wouldn’t notice his most recent addition unless searching very closely.

Written into his right forearm, Meadows has Old English script with initials- those of his late grandfather- and Roman numerals- the date of his death.

“My grandfather had a big impact on my life,” Meadows said. “About two years ago, he passed away on November 28, 2018. He means everything to me, so I just wanted to make sure he’s a part of me for life.”

Ironically, the tattoo is inked into the same arm Meadows used to sign his National Letter of Intent to play football for Cumberland University, forever linking the linebacker’s past with his future.

Cumberland is located in Lebanon, Tennessee, just an hour-and-a-half drive east on Interstate 40.

To some, Lebanon may be unfamiliar territory. But for Meadows- a Lebanon native- it feels like home.

“I moved to Dickson County about four years ago,” Meadows said. “It’s been a struggle, adversity after adversity. I just battled through it. I chose Cumberland because they made me feel right at home. It’s in my hometown. I just liked the vibe and how they made me feel as a person and a player.”

Through Meadows’ time at Dickson County, the Cougars have had two different head coaches.

Now, after the resignation of Randy Murphree on January 7, they’re searching for the third in four seasons.

Throughout that time, Meadows has been a mainstay in the Cougars’ program.

“It meant a lot,” Meadows said of his commitment, which remained in spite of the changes. “It showed that they could count on me in the good times and the bad times. I proved myself.”

That proof extended through Meadows’ senior year, which he said he played for his late grandfather. Still, the All-County linebacker ended with only seven offers.

And even those came after plenty of persistence.

“The naysayers, they pushed me to who I am today,” Meadows said. “It just made me push harder and want it more.”

The persistence expanded to Twitter, as Meadows messaged college coaches and scouts, two to three times a day at times.

“I wanted it bad, man,” Meadows said with a grin. “Several coaches, there’s no telling how many I’ve sent my film.”

Now, after years of remaining in Dickson despite instability, Meadows will be part of a Phoenix program that has gained some sense of balance under third-year head coach Tim Mathis.

And he’ll have a reminder of his family every step of the way.

“It means everything,” Meadows said of the mark. “This whole college football journey, I wanted to make sure I can always look down and see him watch me play.”

Halls continues, expands tradition of ‘Tuesday Night Lights’

Hunter Huff can still remember the adrenaline he felt on Oct. 13, 2017.

That Friday night, Huff’s Halls Red Devils handed the Gibbs Eagles a 28-27 loss in what Huff described as “hard-nosed, smash mouth football.”

“One of the hardest fighting games we ever played,” he continued. “Just an awesome experience.”

The energy was palpable, as the Red Devils ignited a hard-fought fourth-quarter comeback to top the Eagles.

Despite the cheering that ensued, the vigor from Halls’ win was nothing compared to the excitement that flowed across that same field just five days later.

On Oct. 18, 2017, Halls students, cheerleaders, band members and parents packed the stands for “Tuesday Night Lights,” an inaugural event that gave Halls special needs students an opportunity to play and participate in high school football.

Huff, a wide receiver at the time, led each team’s offense for what he still refers to as “the most fun, energetic experience I’ve ever had on a football field.”

In the days leading up to the event, Halls principal Mark Duff said that everyone involved seemed “absolutely excited.”

That enthusiasm is what prompted Huff to get involved in the first place, and it lingers with him now as a freshman at The University of Tennessee.

“I was inspired to be involved,” Huff said. “I saw absolute happiness and gratitude from the kids living in the moment of the game.”

The event was kickstarted by Hayley Edwards, now a freshman at Mississippi State.

According to a report from WBIR, Edwards worked with the Comprehensive Developmental Classroom (CDCA) since her middle school days, and she wanted those students to have the same school-sanctioned opportunities as anyone else.

"They have Special Olympics, but they never have the opportunity to join school-sanctioned sports and I just think it's really important for them to have the opportunity to have their night,” Edwards told WBIR.

Edwards also gave insight via text from her dorm room in Starkville, Miss., digging deeper into how the idea first came to her.

“I felt as though our school and community needed to have more inclusion and be more accepting, despite differences with someone’s intellectual or physical abilities,” Edwards texted. “At the end of the day, we’re all human and want to have the same opportunity.”

To do that, Edwards founded a club now known as “SACC,” which stands for “Special Athletes Competing for a Cause.”

This club “would allow the students to play the same sports as other students, with them side by side,” Edwards said.

Edwards also said that the club brought students together outside of school for things like “going to the movies, going out to eat, going to the zoo, etc.”

But its main focus?

“Tuesday night lights.”

Once Edwards, CDCA teacher Romy Reed and others started planning, excitement fell in line shortly after.

But that planning took some time.

The Halls student who spearheaded the event this year said that the first item to cross off the agenda was the choosing of a date.

Next came a date confirmation with staff members to ensure that there would not be any school-related interruptions, and after that, the group reached out to Halls head coach Jeremy Bosken about using jerseys, helmets and the field itself.

“Then we go around to stores in Halls to get sponsors,” the junior continued. After that came food truck contact, ad and video compilations, club sponsorship, and even contact with the local national guard branch, which the student said donated “a blow-up helmet that the students run through.”

All in all, he could only describe the planning and event as a whole in one word: “huge.”

“It was a great event that planted even more seeds and allowed for so many wonderful things to happen after,” Edwards said.

One of those “wonderful things” came in the form of donations, proceeds and gifts gleaned from each event. The money, Edwards said, “all went to buy.. Christmas presents” for the students, most of whom “come from low-income families,” according to Edwards.

But the ripple effect didn’t stop there.

Instead, it traveled south about 10 minutes, making a stop at Central High School just north of Knoxville.

The student leading the charge for “Tuesday night lights” in 2018 had reached out to the CDCA class at Central, as well as several other schools, about the possibility of creating what Halls principal Mark Duff later called “a regular high school football game… just on a Tuesday night.”

Administrators from Central agreed with the idea.

So, on Oct. 23, 2018, students from Halls suited up for football, just like last year.

Except this time, as they tugged on the cherry red Nike jerseys emblazoned with “HALLS” across the front, they only grew more excited, since they would get to share the field with others.

“I thought that instead of playing each other, I want to make a real football game to get the CDCA students more excited,” the junior in charge said. “And that worked. They were so happy that they got to play another school.”

Duff said that Halls will look to include more schools in the future, citing “the more, the merrier!” as a chuckled reasoning.

One of those institutions happens to be Gibbs High School.

Should that game take place, it will be a “Tuesday night lights” version of the one that Huff experienced for himself, just five days before the event that started it all.

And that, Huff said, would be a sight to see.

“I think it would be a totally different atmosphere but in a good way,” Huff said. “It’s more of everyone being on the same side of positivity for everyone. Two communities putting aside their rivalry for the good of the players.”

Whether the game between Halls and Gibbs comes to fruition or not, Duff said that the overall imprint has turned this idea into an annual event for the Halls community to enjoy.

And next year’s, he said, “will be even bigger.”

Nichols: Rick Barnes has a hard ceiling, and Tennessee revealed again on Friday

Remember that column from yesterday, the one where I wrote to enjoy Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament ride no matter how long it lasted?

Never mind, at least where the men’s team is concerned. It wasn’t fun, and it didn’t last.

Instead, today comes with an urging to accept the truth: Rick Barnes has hit his ceiling at Tennessee, and no new recruit can change that.

If Kennedy Chandler and Jahmai Mashack happen to come across this column, I’m sorry. You’re both fantastically talented players, and I hope you and Josiah-Jordan James prove me wrong next year.

But there’s little chance of that happening.

After what we saw yesterday, and especially with what’s brutally, slowly unfolded in the past several years, the sad truth is this:

Rick Barnes is a wonderful human being, a Christ-like example for his players to follow, and he can out-develop every other coach in the country. But when the big moments come and Barnes sticks to his same old habits, his teams crumble every time.

Utter refusal to stop opposing runs with timeouts. Too much focus on guard play and not enough on big man recruiting or development. Complete inability to switch defenses or adjust offensive approach when other teams become flexible.

These reasons are namely why Tennessee has underachieved so often during Barnes’ career, even with the spectacular talent that he has stimulated on Rocky Top.

They also paint a picture for every team Barnes has coached — Providence, Clemson, Texas and Tennessee — and why those programs have been built impressively under his tutelage, only to fall when the lights come on.

Those lights also appeared too bright for the 37-year head coach, who shifted the blame to freshmen that he said had “stage fright” on Friday. But isn’t a coach’s job to prepare his players for a national spotlight?

Whatever the case, the Vols flailed.

5-seed Tennessee fell to 12-seed Oregon State 70-56 in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The game marked the latest 12-5 upset in tournament history even though, at this point, those matchups almost lean more toward the 12-seed.

And those two stage-frightened freshmen? They were two of just three Vols to reach double figures in points on Friday. Keon Johnson had 14 points and six rebounds, Jaden Springer had 12 points with three boards, and Santiago Vescovi notched 11 points and three rebounds.

Josiah-Jordan James, the team’s most versatile component, led the Vols with a whopping 13 rebounds. He also took the loss hard, saying “it’s on me” and promising the Vols “will be back.”

Those are wonderful sentiments from a battle-tested team leader, albeit one that seemed to put the weight of the world on his own shoulders. But those shoulders are not where Tennessee’s blame should ultimately rest. Not at this point.

Coming into the game, statistics favored Barnes’ team. Despite the Vols’ horrible inconsistencies throughout the year, Tennessee was, at a minimum, expected to remain in Indianapolis until Sunday.

But, like so many other times, Barnes’ own ceiling kept his group from going further. The aforementioned issues that plagued UT throughout the year — that have plagued the Vols throughout Barnes’ tenure — resurfaced in an ugly heap on Friday afternoon.

Refusal to stop runs: See Oregon State’s 14-point halftime lead, which ballooned to a 20-point margin early in the second half.

Too much focus on guard play and not enough presence inside: See Roman Silva’s stat line, Yves Pons’ constant bench presence, and the decision to start Uros Plavsic.

Oregon State’s big man dominated a John Fulkerson-less paint, and he netted 16 points and four rebounds on Friday. Silva averaged five points per game coming into the contest.

Yves Pons managed just four points, and he was sidelined in the first half after drawing two quick fouls — which should not have kept him on the bench given the Vols’ struggles in the paint.

Plavsic notched just one point and three rebounds. He’s been respectable in Fulkerson’s absence, but not good enough to warrant his fourth career start in the first round of March Madness. Moreover, in the one situation where Barnes should have considered guard play over inside game, he kept James on the sideline to start when Fulkerson was already out with a black eye and concussion.

Complete inability to switch defenses or adjust offensive approach: See the Beavers’ 47.6 clip from long range and Tennessee’s brick-layered 19% from the same distance.

In short, the Vols’ pre-tournament hotel quarantine lasted longer than their skid-marked run, which put a sour-tasting cherry on top of a season that leaves fans wondering, “What if?”

Sure, this wasn’t a team with Admiral Schofield or Grant Williams. But those groups flamed out under Barnes, too.

2018: Lost to Loyola-Chicago

2019: Collapsed against Purdue

2020: Pass

2021: Pass again, apparently

Last year, Fulkerson and Pons formed an All-SEC duo. Together, they looked poised to pick up this season where Schofield and Williams left off two years ago.

Instead, Pons will head to the draft after a forgetful final performance, and Fulkerson will weigh his options for the future. Tennessee’s performance on Friday certainly didn’t give him a reason to stay.

Let’s not forget Springer and Johnson, either. Those are two potential NBA lottery picks whose short-lived UT careers went the way of Springer on Friday afternoon: impressive, but with a limp at the end.

In short, this team could have been the one to reach Tennessee’s first Final Four in program history, and it’s partly the players’ fault that the Vols didn’t. But how many times have fans heard the phrase “this could be the year” during Barnes’ time in Knoxville, only for the coach’s own shortcomings to play a major role in why that run still hasn’t happened?

After Friday’s failure, Barnes holds a 24-25 career record in March Madness. That also puts him at 4-12 in the Big Dance as a 5-seed or worse. Also, according to Athlon Sports’ Bryan Fischer, he’s officially lost to every single seed, 1-12, at least once. “Horrifying” is not a good enough word to describe that feat.

Maybe if Barnes coaches long enough to earn a 1, 2, 3 or 4 seed, he could lose enough to win NCAA Tournament bingo.

He certainly hasn’t won anything else related to the tournament, nor has he been close enough to sniff it most of the time.

Moreover, after losses that doom the Vols’ chances at something better, Barnes points the finger at everyone except himself. Rarely has he admitted his own faults, and, in turn, that trait has become one of Barnes’ faults.

See the “stage fright” comment at the top for further explanation, or the fact that James shouldered the blame and we didn’t hear a peep from Barnes about his own miscues.

Such musings provide a stark contrast to Barnes’ upside, which he used to glean a $5 million-dollar contract — fifth-highest in college basketball — after flirting with UCLA two years ago. But that kind of salary increase brings a new level of expectation, and Barnes has failed to deliver every time.

In overall numbers, Barnes is excellent. The Henry Iba Coach of the Year for 2019, he’s made his mark as the 18th-winningest coach in Division I history, 727-387 overall. He has led Tennessee to an SEC title and is one of 12 coaches to lead three programs to Sweet Sixteen appearances.

He’s also an expert at developing players into NBA-ready talent, and he’s done a masterful job leading this team through a stressful, problematic, hectic year that no one saw coming.

And, as mentioned, he’s a fantastic person. Barnes sticks up for his guys and, ultimately, he leads them to become better men.

Still, none of those statements excused what we saw Friday, or what Barnes hasn’t been able to achieve.

When you comb through the list of those top five salaries for college basketball coaches, four of those contracts are written for national title winners and consistent Final Four contenders.

Except for one Final Four appearance with Texas in 2003, Barnes has never been one of those. And at Tennessee, he has better facilities and backing than some of the other names on that list.

One of those other names, John Calipari, led a historically bad Kentucky team this year. Those same Wildcats still beat the brakes off Barnes’ Vols on their home court.

All this isn’t to say Danny White will make a move, at least not soon. Barnes’ teams typically have too high a floor to consider such a maneuver, especially with Barnes firmly entrenched in an excellent second tier of college basketball’s best.

But the ceiling separating Barnes from that first tier is the same one that has kept the Vols from making history, even while playing above par.

Looking across Tennessee athletics (except at Covid-riddled football), Barnes’ program used to be the main one on the upswing. Now, Tony Vitello has become the fastest coach in Tennessee baseball history to reach 100 wins, Ralph and Karen Weekly have the softball team on another hot start, and Kellie Harper’s Lady Vols have a strong chance at their own tournament run starting Sunday.

All that, combined with poor postseason presence and another crop of talented incoming recruits, puts quite a bit of pressure on Rick Barnes.

Let’s hope that pressure doesn’t cause Barnes’ floor to fall, at least not any deeper than it did this season. If it does? Well, his teams have to go somewhere.

They’re certainly not getting past his ceiling anytime soon.