Miami (OH) Redhawks head coach Chuck Martin. Carter Skaggs/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Miami (OH) HC accuses Alabama of 'stealing' team's kicker

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated Aug 22, 2024 6:59 PM ET

One college football head coach is not too happy with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Miami (OH) head football coach Chuck Martin was interviewed by reporter Jed DeMuesy, and a video clip from their interview was posted online Thursday. During the interview, the two were reviewing the RedHawks’ team entering the 2024 season.

DeMuesy mentioned how on special teams, the RedHawks’ had “lost” their kicker. That’s when Martin interjected.

“We didn’t lose him, he’s at Alabama,” Martin said sternly. “We know exactly where he’s at … Alabama stole our kicker. They illegally recruited our kicker and stole him from us. That’s a fact.”

“We didn’t lose him, he’s at Alabama. We know exactly where he’s at… Alabama stole our kicker. They illegally recruited our kicker and stole him from us. Thats a fact.”

Miami (OH) HC Chuck Martin kept it real

pic.twitter.com/VBvlahJwOR

— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) August 22, 2024

The kicker in question is Graham Nicholson, who won the Lou Groza Award last year as the best kicker in college football. Nicholson went 26-for-27 (96.3%) on field goal attempts last season and was 35-for-36 on extra points (97.2%).

The senior kicker entered the transfer portal during the spring and committed to Alabama in April.

New Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer was asked Thursday about Martin’s claim and feigned innocence, claiming the Tide simply reached out to a player who had entered the transfer portal.

Kalen DeBoer's response to Miami-Ohio Chuck Martin, who claimed Alabama "illegally recruited" and "stole" kicker Graham Nicholson pic.twitter.com/YPmtOrWIQV

— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) August 22, 2024

It’s not easy being a mid-major coach, especially in football, where you have to compete with big dogs that reportedly have multi-million dollar payrolls, like the Tide.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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