Nichols joins farragutpress
“I’m excited,” Nichols, 30, said. “So far, it’s been a really welcoming environment. I feel like I can do a lot of great things here.
“I’m especially excited from not just the storytelling but also the social media and video perspective as well and just helping to elevate what seems like an already good and respected publication,” he added. “I feel like I’ve accumulated a good bit of sports media experience; I enjoy the job; and I feel like I’ve gotten a wide breadth of skills."
Nichols, who was hired Thursday, Dec. 17, grew up in Jackson, Tennessee, where he attended and graduated from Jackson Christian School in 2015 then attended University of Tennessee, Knoxville, graduating in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and media.
Subsequently, he covered high school sports for a news outlet in Sevierville for six months then worked in radio in Dickson, Tennessee, through the pandemic for six months in 2020.
Then, Nichols moved to the Cedar Bluff area of Knoxville four years ago with Deanna, who now is his wife, when she enrolled in law school at Lincoln Memorial University in May 2023. Since then, she graduated and practices law in downtown Knoxville.
In Knoxville, Nichols covered UT sports for a Sports Illustrated outlet for about three years before working for The Newport Plain Talk for three years while still living in Knoxville.
He applied for the position with the farragutpress because of the proximity to his home and because “I wanted to get back into high school sports.
“There are so many great teams here, and athletes,” Nichols said. “Covering Tennessee for a couple of years, you come across some of those athletes through covering recruiting … but I wanted to be able to tell the stories of kids around the Knoxville area because I feel like it’s such a good market, as far as high school sports.
“There’s so much support,” he said. “There are a lot of great athletes, coaches, and I enjoy being a part of it.”
