The Spire

Aiden Konold ’26

Chief Sports Editor

Cam Nolan doesn’t like the spotlight. But in this moment, as the sun shines down on his face and illuminates his red beard, the spotlight is unavoidable. 

Jennifer Toland, the Worcester Telegram and Gazette sports reporter, is also here to interview Nolan a few minutes before the Crusaders’ midafternoon practice at Kuzniewski Field. 

A few hours earlier, during his noon press conference over Zoom, which occurs every Tuesday during the season, Holy Cross head football coach Dan Curran fielded questions from local reporters, student journalists, and broadcasters alike about how his team plans to get ready for the Harvard Crimson, the Crusaders’ upcoming opponent. 

After scoring 100 points across their first two games, which included a 59-7 win over Stetson and a 41-7 win over Brown, the Crimson were ranked the 25th best FCS team in the nation according to STATS Perform. The Crusaders must spend this practice focusing on ways to stop Harvard’s explosive offense, and figure out ways to score on its stalwart defense. 

But today, Toland’s focus is on Nolan being named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. So is mine. 

The William V. Campbell Trophy, often referred to as the “academic Heisman,” focuses on a player’s leadership, academic success, and their on-field performance. 

Rather than prioritize one of these three qualities over the other, the National Football Foundation (NFF) Awards Committee chooses nominees and ultimately the winner for this prestigious award based on their ability to meet and exceed all three criteria. 

In being nominated a semifinalist, Nolan has exhibited an ability to succeed on the field at guard, but he’s also stepped up into a leadership role and found success in the classroom as a Political Science major. 

“He deserves all the recognition he gets. He works extremely hard to put himself in the positions he’s in,” says Holy Cross offensive line coach Patrick Denecke. “Especially an offensive lineman doesn’t always get the recognition [they deserve]. Anytime that they are recognized by their peers, it’s very special.” 

When Nolan arrived on campus to start his freshman year, the offensive line was stacked with talented veteran leaders. With guys like C.J. Hanson, Eric Schon, Nick Olsofka, Pat McMurtrie, Dalton Dadonna, brothers Jack and Declan McCauley, Luke Newman, and Grady Smith all upperclassmen, Nolan did not appear in a game until his sophomore year. 

“If you came out here three years ago, when I was a freshman, C.J. and I were doing steps for 50 yards, just him showing me, you know, what he does, what works for him, and just him specifically, he was a mentor to me,” Nolan says. “He taught me a lot of the things that I know, how to see things on the field, and I just think that he was really impactful for me.” 

As freshmen, Nolan and teammate Joe Metzger often held blocking bags up for the upperclassmen linemen in drills. 

“I mean, we came in here with Coach [Chris] Smith in the 2022 season, trying to just figure out the ropes. We didn’t really get a lot of reps at the time, we kind of were just being bag holders basically for the first couple years,” says Metzger. “And then going into our sophomore year, he just took off. He just has a football mind that I’ve never really seen before.” 

But during his freshman year, Nolan says he felt like he was just “treading water.” The game moved much faster than the game he played in high school at nearby St. John’s. And even though St. John’s plays in the competitive Catholic Conference, Nolan was always one of the bigger guys on the field. He constantly used that to his advantage. But there were technical aspects of his game that he needed to improve to succeed at Holy Cross. 

“I don’t think I had great footwork back then. I definitely wasn’t a great pass blocker, and so I was just really figuring out everything as I went along,” Nolan says. “I don’t think I had great technique coming in here, and I think the coaches, especially my first two, three years, have really pushed me along in that aspect.” 

It all started to click for him during the spring of his freshman year when Chris Zarkoskie took over as the Holy Cross offensive line coach. The game slowed down. 

“He was great,” says Nolan. “He really helped me understand just everything, because it was a lot going on at first, and so he was a big help.” 

That fall, Nolan played in nine games of his sophomore season as a reserve offensive lineman and was selected to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, but it wasn’t until last season that he appeared in the starting lineup. 

Under Coach Denecke, the current offensive line coach, Nolan pays close attention to the nuances in playing on the offensive line. 

“Coach Denecke is really, you know, just fine tuning the details for me,” Nolan says. “I think knowing what’s going to happen before a snap, or at least having a good idea how the defense aligns when they’re in their base or when they’re in a different formation, and where the linebackers are lined up, where the d-line’s lined up, how they’re going to move [is important].” 

When Coach Denecke joined the Holy Cross coaching staff last spring, he made it a point of emphasis to spend time with Nolan working on the granular, minute details that separate the good offensive linemen from the great offensive linemen. 

“Just continuing to find technique. You know, he has some really special God-given talents, so we’re just continuing looking to refine his technique,” says Denecke. “He’s also highly intelligent, so you can give him a lot of information. He’s able to process it, so [I’m] just trying to give him all the tools to be successful.” 

Last season, Nolan made use of those tools. He appeared in each of the Crusaders’ 12 games and started in the last eight. His performance at right guard contributed to an offense that averaged 27.6 points per game and an offensive line that yielded just 1.08 sacks per game on average, which ranked first in the Patriot League and 11th in the nation. 

Following Nolan’s first season as a regular starter, he earned a spot on the All-Patriot League Second Team and was named the Davitt Award winner, which goes annually to the Crusaders’ best offensive lineman. 

“It’s always rewarding to see guys put in positions that are able to grow into those leadership roles,” Coach Denecke says. “You know, he sat behind a very good offensive line for his first couple years and took advantage of his opportunity when I got here, and he’s only continued to improve.” 

After years of watching offensive linemen serve as team captains, from Nick Olsofka his freshman year to C.J. Hanson his sophomore year to Christo Kelly just a year ago, Nolan learned what it took to show the underclassmen the ropes and set a standard for them to follow. 

“So just kind of combining what all those guys did [has helped me],” says Nolan. “Nick wasn’t as vocal as the other two, so I would say I’m more like him. I’m not a very vocal guy. So just taking things that they did and, you know, kind of making them into my own.”

Though not vocal from the start, Nolan’s teammates and the Crusader coaching staff recognized his leadership qualities and named him one of the team’s five captains in the spring ahead of his senior season. 

“He’s the first one to help out a young player if he needs help, whether it’s working with them, one on one or as a group,” says Coach Denecke. “He’s also a great leader by example, no one’s going to outwork him. He does everything right on the field, he’s well liked by his teammates. He’s very easy to coach.” 

And in his first season as a captain, Nolan has learned how to use his voice. He doesn’t speak much, it’s just not in his nature, but when he does, his teammates pay attention. They know he has something important to say. 

“Cam is not a very vocal guy, but throughout the spring, into the summer, into the fall, you kind of just see him growing into this vocal guy that when he talks, everybody’s going to listen to him, he has that effect on guys on this team,” says Metzger, a fellow captain. “So he’s definitely gone from, I would say, a quiet guy coming in here, just kind of finding his place and then growing into a good, verbal leader for this team.” 

Nolan came to Holy Cross from Auburn, less than five miles down the road. The academics and football were both a challenge when he first got here, but he stuck with it, watching how his older teammates approached the challenges they faced. 

“Coming in here, we had a lot of great players and just watching, you know, the work that they put in the weight room on the field each and every day, when we get here in the summer, it’s a good time to learn,” Nolan says. “And just watching how those guys attack each and every day, and their mindset and everything that’s that was what was really impactful for me.” 

Being here has formed Nolan into a person ready to take on the many challenges life throws at him. Initially nervous of the academics at Holy Cross, Nolan has connected with his professors in office hours and learned the importance of effective communication. 

“The professors are great. You know, they understand when we’re leaving on a Friday we’re not going to be in class, you know, [you need to] email them you’re not going to be there,” Nolan says. “They encourage you to come to office hours, really, you know, review what you missed. And they’re just really good with everything.” 

He’s taken full advantage of all the opportunities that Holy Cross has to offer, whether it be serving the Worcester community, connecting with alumni, or excelling on the football field. His involvement and the success he’s found in all these different arenas has propelled him to be named a William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist, and he’ll forever be grateful for what Holy Cross has given him. 

“All the opportunities that you have to get into the community are really important,” says Nolan. “You know, we have Community Day here, doing that with the kids, and then all the volunteer work that we can do and get involved with. It’s really something special that we have here.”

Featured image courtesy of Holy Cross Athletics