Ellender’s TyShaun Hester Commits To Nicholls St

On Thursday, 2021 running back TyShaun Hester committed to Nicholls St via twitter. The Colonels offered Hester February 19 & have been pushing for his commitment since then. ​

“The fact that Nicholls offered me after injuring my foot which ended my season meant a lot to me,” Hester said. “They really showed me that they believe in me. Coach Sammy(Joseph) & Coach Russ(Gisclair) check up on me all the time. I like the fact that when we talk it’s not just about football. That let me know that that’s the kind of program I want to be apart of. 

​“With Nicholls being only 20 minutes from my house, that was big for me because my family can come see me play all the time. And with the new facilities they’re building over there, I think it’s an exciting time to be a Colonel.” 

The 5-foot-10, 176 pound running back had a lot of other schools keeping tabs on him & probably would have received more offers had it not been for the coronavirus taking away spring football. A healthy Hester is expected to have a big senior year & it’s no doubt Nicholls St will have to fight off other schools before signing day when it’s all said & done.

“I know other schools probably wanted to see me in person during the Spring before they offered me,” Hester said. “I think it played out like this for a reason. I’m just happy I get to go do something I love on the next level & get a free education at the same time.”

Hester was off to a hell of a junior year before he injured his foot the fifth game of the season. He had a total of 8 touchdowns (rushing & kick return) to go with over 900 all-all purpose yards. 

“I was devastated that my junior year got cut short,” Hester said. “All I kept thinking about is I wanted to be out there to help my team. Now that I’m 100% healthy again I’ve been working out almost everyday. I’m anxious for the season to come so I can help Ellender get back on the map & also prove to the Nicholls staff that they didn’t make a mistake on me.”

Ellender new head football coach Jesse Turner was also a former Ellender & Nicholls St standout running back. Now it seems that Hester is falling right into his head coach’s footsteps. 

“Coach Jesse has been there for me since day one,”Hester said. “He is a big reason why I’m in this position. It feels good to carry on the legacy that my head coach laid out when he was here at Ellender & when he played at Nicholls. It’s really crazy when you think about it, but I’m excited to continue to make him proud.”

Hester expressed that committing to Nicholls is not just about him, but it’s about bringing more exposure to the Ellender program. 

“We stay with good athletes at Ellender,” Hester said. “My freshman year when Davontavean Martin signed with Washington St that really motivated me. My sophomore year we had two sign with Southern, McNeese St, & this past year Houston. 

“I just want to continue the pipeline over here. And we have some really good young athletes coming up behind me. O’Ryan(James) already has offers from Virginia & Mississippi St. And he is only in the 10th grade so I think we’re going to continue pushing good athletes out over here. I’m just happy to be apart of that.”