There are always unknowns for teenagers setting off to college for the first time, but for Jeremiah Nails, the journey over the last five years has be unique in many ways.
 
In this edition of Hatter Chatter … The Podcast, presented by Insight Credit Union, Nails takes us back to his youth in Lawrenceville, GA, where he was in the middle of a group of five brothers. In addition to those brothers at home, he had another kind of brother, who he met in middle school and became best friends with at Archer High School.
 
That brother's name was Nick Blakely. The two were best friends, teammates, spades partners and, by their senior year, determined to go to college together. There were plenty of options on the table, but Stetson was the first to make an offer, and also made sure the pair could continue as teammates.
 
During their first fall in DeLand, in 2016, the duo became a trio with JJ Henderson joining the squad as they went through a redshirt season together. Nails said it was Blakely, with his infectious smile and boundless enthusiasm, that kept the group motivated through a year with no games. Nails was able to lean on that group when his baby brother, Major, passed after being born prematurely.
 
He had no way of knowing the grief he felt then was just the beginning. As the trio was preparing for the 2017 season, a year that would mark their debut as college players, Nick collapsed at practice just days before the first game of the season. He suffered what is known as Sudden Cardiac Arrest and, despite the best efforts of certified athletic trainers on site, and medical professionals at Florida Hospital DeLand, he passed away on August 28.
 
The entire Stetson community was hit hard by Blakely's death, but Nails, his best friend and roommate, and the rest of his teammates took it very hard.
 
Nails talks about how football helped him through his grief and his focus on academics and making his parents and brothers proud drove him to push ahead. That drive led him to receive his degree in Sport Management in just three years.
 
As he gets set for his fifth, and final, year at Stetson, Nails works as a graduate assistant in the Athletics Academic Services office while working to complete him MBA in the spring. He could have taken jobs elsewhere on campus, but wanted to be in position to help other student-athletes, especially members of the football team, achieve their goals academically.
 
A captain for the 2020 season, Nails has been focused on preparing for a season the he isn't sure will ever come. As a team leader, he has fully bought in to the culture coach Roger Hughes has established. He also takes the lessons he learned in overcoming adversity to talk about how football can help the country overcome the obstacles currently in place for so many people.
 
A great example of the kind of student, and the kind of young adult, Stetson University and Stetson Athletics is producing, enjoy a conversation with Jeremiah Nails in this edition of Hatter Chatter … The Podcast, presented by Insight Credit Union.
 
In addition to being available at GoHatters.com/podcasts, Hatter Chatter is also available at Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and others. Make sure to give a like or a rating, or make a comment about the podcast on whichever platform you use.

Listeners are also encouraged to provide feedback, ask questions or make suggestions for future guests via email at HatterChatter@Stetson.edu.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.