Like many high school seniors, Gavin Nuckolls found himself frustrated by the current state of college football recruiting before, during and after his final season at Northwest Whitfield.
Despite throwing for 6,783 yards, rushing for 1,797 yards and having a hand in 98 touchdowns as a three-year starting quarterback, Nuckolls’ best offer as the new year began was from Tennessee’s’s Tusculum, an NCAA Division II program.
Fortune intervened — Nuckolls prefers to call it divine intervention — when Georgia State had some turnover at the position and, having recruited Nuckolls since after his junior season, reached out to him and Bruins coach Josh Robinson.
An official visit ensued, an offer followed, and Nuckolls made it official Wednesday, the start of the second signing period for the current recruiting cycle in college football. He not only will get the opportunity to play in NCAA Division I but in the upper-tier Football Bowl Subdivision as the Panthers compete in the Sun Belt Conference.
“They came in real late, but I was able to take a visit and was able to speak with (head) coach (Dell) McGee, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and QB coach Ryan Williams, and I loved it,” said Nuckolls who set a school record with 33 touchdown passes this past season. “It means a lot to have the opportunity to go play at the FBS level.