Grand Rapids Catholic Central senior running back Nick Hollern thought he was headed to Maine to play for a division three school next year, but that decision recently changed.
"I think it all changed with my visit to Hillsdale," Hollern said. "I was blown away. Their program is, I think, so similar to the one we run here (at Grand Rapids Catholic Central). It's built on excellence, and it is built on the fundamentals and how those small things done in great ways escalate to great outcomes."
Nick has been to many games at Hillsdale to watch his older brother Nate play for the Chargers when he was in middle school.
"When I was younger it was always this big institution where my brother plays football and he's going to learn about all these different things and it seems like such a high level to me," Hollern said. "Now I feel like I'm ready for the challenge at hand and I know there is going to be a lot of work ahead but I like the challenge and I just want to meet it head on full force."
Plus, Team Hollern is a a large group that loves to follow Nick. There's little question they would have made their way to New England to watch him play, but now their trips will be much shorter.
"Being able to get a form of independence by moving away for a little bit will be helpful to me and me growing as a person," Hollern said. "But I'll also be able to keep seeing my family and be around for my older siblings important parts of their lives, having kids, starting their own families so I want to be around for that."
Nick joins a long list of relatives to play at the next level, joining his grandfather Dale who played at Michigan State in the 1950's, his father Ted played at Central Michigan in the 1980's, his oldest brother Teddy played at Valparaiso and his other brother Nate.
