STATESBORO
Nardo Govan remembers the feeling well — the feeling of breaking into the open field and never slowing down until crossing the goal line.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in the end zone,” Govan said, after a recent Georgia Southern football practice.
Saturday, the 6-foot-2, 243-pound freshman fullback from Savannah Christian was one of the bright spots in GSU’s first scrimmage after running more than 30 yards for a touchdown.
Govan is competing for playing time behind the Eagles’ preseason All-America starter Dominique Swope.
“I was excited, overwhelmed,” Govan said. “When you turn around and see all your teammates coming and jumping on you and chanting with you, that makes it even better.”
Govan made the run look easy, but his path to the playing field has been anything but. The do-it-all star who led Savannah Christian to a Class A state championship suddenly couldn’t do anything when he failed to make his grades.
Govan said he had offers from Mississippi State and Cincinnati. Louisville and Vanderbilt also showed interest in the versatile athlete who earned a three-star rating from Rivals.
But when he failed to make his grades, the offers went away.
Georgia Southern remained in the picture. Govan attended school as a non-qualifier, meaning he had to sit out the season without financial aid from athletics while earning at least 12 academic hours in the fall and 12 in the spring.
“I just kept training,” Govan said. “It was hurtful, a downer, but I couldn’t let it hurt my spirits. I just kept going strong, kept grinding. I knew I was coming back, so I was preparing for that day.”
Not only did Govan meet the requirements, but he was also one of 32 GSU football players with a 3.0 grade-point average or better.
Now his day on the field has come.
“I’m really proud of him,” Eagles coach Jeff Monken said. “He’s taken care of his academics. He’s hungry and wants to play. He’s working hard and he’s improving every day.”
Making the transition
Georgia Southern doesn’t land a Govan every day. He’s big, powerful and has good speed. He was almost unstoppable at Savannah Christian, running for 510 yards and 10 touchdowns on 41 carries as a senior. He also played linebacker. Earlier in his high school career, he played safety and slotback.
When Govan came to Southern, he was just listed as “athlete.” The Eagles first tried him at defensive end, but fullback seemed to be an area in need.
Govan was a first option to strengthen the triple option.
But he’s struggled at times. Only a day before GSU’s scrimmage, Monken said Govan fumbled three or four times in practice.
“He was frustrated and so were we,” Monken said. “He still has a lot to learn. To his credit, he hasn’t played a lot of football the last two years, but he’s doing the little things better every day. I’m looking forward to watching him develop.”
Govan has proven he won’t get discouraged. He said the Eagles veterans — Swope and William Banks — have taken him under their wings.
“I sit in the film room with the upperclassmen and go over the plays and assignments, exactly what I’m doing,” Govan said. “They’re keeping me on track.”
But Govan learned first hand that athletics and academics can go hand in hand.
“School is very important and I didn’t always take it as seriously as I should have and I realized that afterward,” he said. “I cracked down, and I think I have a good base right now. That’s important because balancing football and academics is going to be challenging.”