Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (San Jose State)
2008 Second-Team Academic All-Big 12
2008 Big 12 Commissioner’s Spring Academic Honor Roll
2009 Game by Game (updated 12-14-09) Florida Atlantic:Two catches for 13 yards... added two KOR for total of 49 yards. Arkansas State:Had breakout game with team- and career-high six catches for 69 yards... added first career TD catch with 2-yard reception to cap scoring... added second career rush with 30-yard TD romp... added three PR and two KOR for 169 all-purpose yards. Virginia Tech: Collected just one reception for 19 yards but made impact in return game... had 176 all-purpose yards including career-best 55-yard punt return. Louisiana-Lafayette: Recorded one catch for nine yards... added two punt returns (9 yards) and a KO return for 21 yards. Missouri:Posted six catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns... posted two catches for 69 yards in fourth quarter, both for scores.Texas Tech:Posted one catch for four yards... added five punt returns for 64 yards, including a long of 18 yards.Iowa State: Had third game this year with career-best six catches... added 143 receiving yards (ninth-best total in school history) including career-long 72 yarder... 208 all-purpose yards, with 54 yards on two kickoff returns.Baylor: Had two catches for team-best 54 yards... 45-yard reception set up NU’s only offensive TD of game... also had a punt return (17 yards) and kickoff return (14 yards) for team-best 85 all-purpose yards.Oklahoma:Had two punt returns for 19 yards... did not have a reception.Kansas:Posted career receiving day with 154 yards – the sixth-best receiving day in school history – on four catches... all four catches went for at least 35 yards, including a long of 45 yards... along with impressive receiving day, he added 82 yards in returns for 244 all-purpose yards.Kansas State:Led team with four catches for 82 yards... second straight game with at least four catches, and fifth on the season... had long of 47 yards to set up NU’s final touchdown.Colorado:Recorded two catches for 20 yards... made presence felt on special teams with 71 punt return yards (4 returns) and one kickoff return for 21 yards... posted first career punt return for a TD with 59-yard return to score game’s first points in first quarter... finished with 112 all-purpose yards to lead Nebraska. Texas:Had just one catch for four yards...nearly broke a punt return for TD, but was stopped at 10 yard line, setting up a fourth-quarter field goal... return went for 43 yards... also added 42-yard kickoff return and had 95 all-purpose yards on the night.
2009 Outlook Omaha native Niles Paul became a vital member of the Nebraska receiving corps in 2008, and was also a dynamic special teams performer. This fall, the 6-1, 215-pound Paul will be looked upon to assume a more significant role in the Nebraska receiving corps after the graduation of 2008 seniors Nate Swift and Todd Peterson. Paul will also continue in his role as one of the leading kickoff return men in the Big 12.
Paul appeared in all 13 games last season and was one of a school-record seven Huskers with at least 20 receptions. The nephew of former Husker great Ahman Green, Paul has excellent size and is blessed with outstanding speed, making him a dual threat for the Huskers.
2008 (Sophomore) Paul played in all 13 games with four starts. He finished with 23 receptions for 214 yards and had six games with multiple catches. He had three games with three or more receptions, including four catches for 25 yards at Texas Tech, career highs of five catches for 34 yards against Baylor and three receptions for 31 yards at Kansas State. Paul added two receptions each against San Jose State, Iowa State and Clemson. Paul made perhaps his biggest impact as a sophomore on Nebraska’s special teams units, most notably as Nebraska’s primary kickoff return man. Paul averaged 23.6 yards on 41 kickoff returns to rank 11th in the Big 12 Conference. His 969 kickoff return yards were the third-most in Nebraska history. He supplied a highlight early in the season, returning a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown against San Jose State to earn Big 12 Special Teams Player-of-the-Week honors. The score extended NU’s lead to 21-12 early in the fourth quarter and Nebraska went on to win by a 35-12 margin.
The San Jose State game was Paul’s first of four games with at least 100 kickoff return yards, including a season-high 156 yards on five returns at Texas Tech, when he added a 69-yard return. Paul also returned seven punts for 77 yards, including a season-long 28-yarder vs. Western Michigan. Paul played on NU’s coverage units and made eight tackles, including three against Kansas. He also recovered fumbles on punt coverage at Iowa State and at Kansas State. Both recoveries led to Nebraska touchdowns.
2007 (Freshman) Paul played in seven games as a reserve receiver and on kickoff coverage. His lone catch of the season was a six-yarder in the opener against Nevada. Paul had an eight-yard kickoff return against Kansas State, and had assisted tackles against Nevada and Kansas State while serving on the Huskers’ kickoff coverage unit. Before Nebraska (Omaha North HS) Paul was regarded as the top prospect in Nebraska in 2007, and was NU’s first signee from Omaha North since 1998. As a senior, Paul hauled in 46 passes for 814 yards and 13 touchdowns for Coach Larry Martin. Paul averaged nearly 18 yards per reception, and also averaged better than 18 yards per punt return. Paul helped North to a 9-2 record and a trip to the Class A state quarterfinals. He was named a first-team All-Nebraska and first-team All-Metro selection by the Omaha World-Herald and a first-team Super-State pick by the Lincoln Journal Star. He was also one of 58 players who were selected as a Parade All-American. Paul averaged 19.5 yards on 32 receptions and caught 10 touchdown passes as a junior, and also averaged 25.6 yards per kickoff return. He earned second-team all-state honors from the Lincoln Journal Star and all-metro honors from the World-Herald. Paul was regarded as one of the top 20 receiving prospects in the country by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. Paul led the West team in receiving in the U.S. Army All-American Game in San Antonio.
In track, Paul won the 110-meter hurdles at the state meet as both a junior and a senior, while finishing second in the 300-meter hurdles and fourth in the 100-meter dash as a senior. His 4x100-meter relay team also finished second. In 2006 he led the Vikings to the Class A state track title by winning four gold medals. Individually, he captured the Class A titles in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles and was part of all-class gold medal teams in the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays. Paul also won the Class A state title in the 300-meter hurdles as a sophomore. On the basketball court, Paul was among the Class A leaders in scoring and rebounding, averaging nearly 19 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior.
Personal Niles is the son of Nick DeCosta-Paul and was born on Aug. 9, 1989. He is majoring in communication studies and sociology, and was a second-team academic All-Big 12 pick in 2008. Paul was also named to the 2008 Big 12 Commissioner’s Spring Academic Honor Roll. Paul has volunteered with NU’s hospital visits and at the F Street Recreation Center.
Courtesy: Scott Bruhn/NU Media Relations
