February 11, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
DCHS Senior Tiger punter Nolan Gottlied is about to kick his football career up a notch!
The 2022 special teams’ player of the year for the Tigers and the Region 4 Class 4A Most Outstanding Punter, gathered with family, friends, coaches, and fellow players at DCHS Friday to sign a letter of intent to play for Cumberland University after he graduates in May.
“I chose Cumberland because it is close to home and it’s a good school. I plan to study physical therapy and hope to one day open up my own chiropractic clinic” said Gottlied.
“I was in middle school when I really started liking football and wanted to play when I got to high school”, Gottlied continued.
Although a gifted punter, Gottlied continually works to improve his skill. “You really have to practice. Its like art, you just can’t put something on a canvas because it won’t look all that great but after you work on it for so long it gets really good,” he said.
Gottlied’s favorite moment as a Tiger was in the state play-offs in November 2021 when as a junior, he had a pick six in the 35-21 win at East Hamilton that helped the Tigers advance to the second round that year.
Tiger Coach Steve Trapp said Gottlied has often been a game changer for the team.
“He has punted for us the last couple of years and will be going to Cumberland to punt for them. This last year as a senior he did a really good job for us pinning teams deep and changing field position. There wasn’t a lot of punt return yards against us and a lot of that was due to his ability to get that thing high. I know a few times we were on our own end of the field and he boomed it all the way down there. He had a lot inside the 20-yard line and was really close to a 50-yard average and for high school that is really good, and he is only going to get better because that is all he will have to worry about at Cumberland. He also played receiver for us, and he gave us depth on the defensive back end last year. He played a little at linebacker early on. He’s done a lot of different things for us but what sets him apart is that he is a super great kid and has a super great family and a great work ethic. That is what has allowed him to have this opportunity to continue to play football at Cumberland,” said Coach Trapp.
“He is kind of a self-made punter. I remember him coming in as a freshman. Coach (Thomas) Cagle who was helping us coach at the time said we’re going to make a punter out of him. Credit goes to Nolan and his family because on Sundays, you would see them out here on the field throwing and kicking back and forth and working. That is something he is still doing today. He comes out once or twice a week and he will be out there kicking the football by himself. He’ll run it down and then kick it back, so he continues to work,” added Coach Trapp.
Cumberland is a private university in Lebanon, founded in 1842 and is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Mid-South Conference.