Coaches Corner Where Football Becomes Family

Joel Nicolas

@JoelNicolas19

Head Coach of Temecula Valley HS, CA

Joel Nichols is a family man who loves football for the lessons it can teach long after the final whistle. He believes players can work hard, grow as people, and still have fun with the game. The bonds built along the way mean just as much to him as anything that happens on the field.

Joel’s path into coaching began with an honest look at his own playing future. After high school, he went to junior college and soon realized he didn't have the skills he had believed he did. He talked it through with his mentor and former El Segundo High School head coach, Steve Shevlin, who told him he should coach. That conversation opened a new place for Joel in the game he loved.

Steve became the example Joel wanted to follow. He stayed positive with his players while still demanding their best on and off the field, showing Joel that a coach could set high standards without taking the joy out of football. Joel wants to lead with that same care. Years from now, he hopes former players will see him in town and tell him he made football fun, made them feel like family, and helped them chase their dreams.

That hope comes from Joel’s own life and his time in the sport. Growing up, he didn't have a strong family unit at home outside of his sister. Football and his friends gave him people to lean on, and those relationships helped him see how much an honest connection can mean. He knows what it feels like when others show up for you, which is why he wants his athletes to know their coaches are there for them.

Joel believes trust begins with telling players the truth. He works to be open with them, even when the conversation is difficult, and expects the other coaches on his staff to do the same. He doesn't want to offer empty praise or tell an athlete only what he wants to hear. Giving players a clear picture of where they stand helps them know what to work toward and who they can count on for guidance.

That honesty matters when athletes begin thinking about football after high school. Joel and his staff work to stay current with changes in recruiting so they can help each player find a path that fits. He tells athletes who want to keep playing that they can chase that goal, whether their route leads to junior college or DI. The destination may look different for each player, but Joel wants them prepared to make the most of the chance they earn.

Football keeps bringing Joel back because he sees so much of life in it. A player can do the right things and still face a tough result, then come back the next day and keep working toward a goal. Joel wants his athletes to take that determination with them wherever life leads. He also wants them to leave with lifelong friends and a football family they can lean on, just as he's leaned on his own.