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Photo by Frank Couch.
Vestavia Hills senior offensive lineman Patrick Nuss started receiving letters from various universities after the Rebels’ first game during his junior year.
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Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
Patrick Nuss leapt high for a critical field goal block in an Oct. 7 victory over Mountain Brook.
Vestavia Hills High School senior offensive lineman Patrick Nuss plays with a chip on his shoulder.
“Winning is everything to me,” Nuss said. “I can’t stand losing. Winning, and I would have to say disrespect, drive me. I’ve felt pretty overlooked for some time, and I definitely used that to drive me.”
Nuss has played football since first grade, a sport he participated in since all his friends did, too. He became a varsity football player as a sophomore, and since then he’s played on the offensive line.
The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Nuss possesses obvious attributes as a football player.
He has the size and strength to dominate the man in front of him.
He has played on both sides of the offensive line. Against Mountain Brook on Oct. 7, he jumped high to block a 46-yard field goal attempt midway through the first quarter. He is one of the smartest players around.
But two of his best qualities are his focus and leadership skills.
“All I think about is how I’m going to do my job and protect my backs,” Nuss said. “I tell myself I’m going to destroy the guy in front of me and do whatever it takes to win.”
He knew as a junior last season that he could play at the collegiate level. He started receiving letters from various universities after the Rebels’ first game.
“What really solidified it was meeting coach [Nick] Saban and [Mario] Cristobal when they came to visit my junior year,” Nuss said. “And I knew I could do it because my high school coaches were pushing me harder and harder and telling me the things I could accomplish. I also gained the skills and confidence needed after working with Chris Gray. Without him I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
The hard work paid off Sept. 24 when Nuss committed to Western Kentucky over scholarship offers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Air Force.
“I really loved the campus when I visited,” Nuss said. “The coaches send me what seems like 100 letters a week and have always made me feel wanted from day one. It’s a great offensive system and a good step toward the next level. I want to be a part of and help a program that is still fairly new to D1 football. It’d be great to create a legacy.”
Nuss said the first six or seven years of his life were spent growing up beside Hoover High School. Up until middle school he lived in Spanish Fort. At Vestavia Hills, he’s been a team leader.
“My best attribute would have to be my leadership,” Nuss said. “I love getting the guys ready for the game and giving a pre-game speech every game. I also love doing everything I can to have all my teammates ready for the game, and when we are in the game they can always come to me for help and questions. I serve my teammates so we can win.”
