Nicholls University Fires Football Head Coach Jay Thomas

The Southland Conference's football season is in its final week, and we already have a coaching change.

According to the official blog of Nicholls State University, head football coach Jay Thomas will not be returning to lead the Colonels next season. Thomas was 26-36 as head coach of the Colonels, and his squad suffered through a couple of sad-sack seasons in recent years. NSU was 3-8 overall this year and 2-5 in the Southland, with their only wins coming against a struggling 3-7 Duquesne team out of the Northeast Conference, a still-winless Northwestern State squad and a shocking 45-30 upset over Southeastern Louisiana's best team since 2004.

The Colonels were 3-6 last year, 3-4 in the SLC as a number of their out of conference games were disrupted by Hurricane Gustav's impact on the Louisiana coast. Their last winning season game in 2007, when NSU went 6-5 but still finished only 3-4 in the Southland Conference, and in 2006 they were 4-7 and 2-6 in the SLC. When you look at those facts, it is not exactly surprising that Thomas has been let go from the school in Thibodaux.

Texas State has won the last two games against the Colonels in the Battle for the Paddle with a 34-28 win in Thibodaux this year, and a 34-10 win in San Marcos last year.

According to NSU's official blog, the process of searching for the next head coach "will begin immediately."

-Will Butler, KTSW Sports Director/Blog Editor