Gators Assistant Darris Nichols Expected To Be Named Head Coach At Radford
Photo: Darris Nichols; Credit: University of Florida athletic association
In a busy start to the Florida Gators offseason, a plethora of faces have come and gone from the program.
With seven players and assistant coach Jordan Mincy leaving, Florida received news that another member of the staff would be on his way out on Wednesday morning.
As first announced by Stadium, Gators assistant coach Darris Nichols is expected to fill the Radford head coaching vacancy, leaving Florida with another void to fill on their coaching staff.
Playing collegiately under Bob Huggins at West Virginia, Nichols would see action in 141 games for the Mountaineers, tallying seven points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
Starting in all 137 games in his final two seasons with the program, Nichols would average over 10 points per game en route to a Sweet 16 big in 2008, taking down second-seeded Duke in the process.
Immediately looking to coaching following the expiration of his eligibility, Nichols would step onto Huggins staff as a graduate assistant in 2010-11, before quickly climbing the ranks as an assistant coach.
Bouncing from Northern Kentucky, Wofford and Lousiana Tech in a four-year span, Nichols would finally find a long-term home at Florida.
As a protege of Mike White, Nichols followed the Gators head coach from Lousiana Tech to Gainesville for an assistant coach position, a title he held for five seasons. Arriving in 2015, Nichols aided the Gators to a 123-75 record and four straight NCAA tournament berths during that span (excluding 2019-20 due to the cancellation of college basketball due to COVID-19).
Returning to where he grew up in Radford, Va., Nichols looks to alter the direction of the Highlanders basketball program for the better after a disappointing end to their season in 2020-21, losing five of their last seven to finish 15-12 on the year.
A deserving replacement as the Radford head coach, Nichols gets his opportunity to run a program the way he sees fit, while Florida attempts to reconcile the large looming gap of their personnel.
