DeCarlos Nicholson – A Real-Life Superhero
Natalie Miller, USC Football Communications Student Assistant
11/7/2025
Redshirt senior cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson was scheduled to speak to the media after practice, but he had to run a quick errand.
“I’ll be right back!” he assured the USC Football Communications team. As the rest of his teammates filtered through Goux’s Gate out of Howard Jones Field, Nicholson rushed off in a golf cart.
He returned 10 minutes later with his son, De’Mauri Nicholson, or “Lil’ D” as the team calls him. From there, Lil’ D stole the show – playing catch with the players, saying hello to Head Coach Lincoln Riley and even standing in with the journalists while his dad fielded questions.
Whether it's dancing in the locker room after a win or squeezing into the team huddle, Lil’ D fits right in with the USC football team — and Nicholson couldn’t be happier. From his vantage point, surrounded by towering helmets and larger-than-life personalities, the Trojans look like a league of superheroes — mighty, magical and impossible not to admire.
“He just thinks that everyone is his friend,” Nicholson said with a laugh. “I’m grateful he gets to experience this, and I hope he'll remember all of it as he grows up.”
Earning his graduate certificate last spring and closing in on his master’s this fall, Nicholson has impressively created a balance between student, athlete and father.
“It’s definitely different than just being a student-athlete,” he said. “But when you are surrounded by great people, it makes it a lot easier.”
Lil’ D even has what Nicholson calls his “group of uncles” on the team.
“Uncle Hank is his number one,” he said about fellow redshirt senior Hank Pepper, USC’s starting long snapper.
“Lil’ D? That's my best friend right there,” exclaimed Pepper, “I enjoy every second that I get to be around him.”
“Uncle Hank” enjoys hanging out with Lil’ D in his free time or when Nicholson is in meetings.
“It means the world to me that I can be trusted to watch over a teammate's son,” he said.
Pepper continued, “Having Lil’ D around is huge! His infectious energy gives the team a morale boost every time he comes around.”
Lil’ D has even made a special connection with Coach Riley.
“Every time Lil’ D comes around, Coach Riley will always ask him how he's doing,” Nicholson explained. “Even when he is not around, Coach Riley will ask where he is.”
At first, Nicholson said he tried to keep Lil’ D out of the way, but Coach Riley wouldn’t allow it.
“Coach would pull him right into the middle of the huddle,” Nicholson said with a smile. “He’s really become a part of the team.”
This welcoming nature is exactly what brought Nicholson to eventually don the Cardinal and Gold.
To Lil’ D, the helmet and jersey might as well be a cape, and Nicholson’s journey has been one of perseverance and belief.
He began his collegiate football career at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College as a quarterback. Eventually, he gave cornerback a try and never looked back.
Nicholson's mom quit her job to drive him to camps where he could display his newfound skills in the secondary to Power Five schools. Soon enough, he was ranked as a top Junior College prospect as the No. 3 cornerback in the JUCO class by 24/7 Sports and No.4 by ESPN.
He then transferred to Mississippi State where he played under head coach Mike Leach.
When he chose to enter the transfer portal after the 2023 season, Nicholson immediately felt a connection to Coach Riley, who came from the Mike Leach coaching tree.
“They care,” Nicholson recalled telling his mother after meeting the Trojan coaching staff and the team. “They really cared about me as more than just a player on the field.”
That support has enabled Nicholson to make himself an invaluable piece of the Trojan defense, while also working toward his master’s degree, a milestone he says will mean just as much to him as football. He credits his parents, USC and his son for helping him grow as not only a player, but as a leader and father.
“If you were to have told me a few years ago this is where I would be, I definitely wouldn't have believed you” he reminisced. “USC Football has changed the trajectory of my life and my family’s life.”
For Nicholson, the game has evolved into something far bigger than the sport itself. And while many may see him for his on-field talents, the 3-year-old boy he picks up from school sees him as something greater: a real-life superhero.
