Recruiting Areas: Dallas-Fort Worth East, North East Texas
Nick Debose has been with the Cardinals since June of 2008. He has been the defensive secondary coach that entire time while also filling the video coordinator, community service liaison and housing liaison roles for the program.
Under the direction of Debose, the UIW secondary has received a large amount of acclaim. Throughout his career with the Cardinals, he has always been able to develop young defensive backs.
Debose directed a mature group in 2015 that was one of the keys to a defense that was one of the tops in the Southland Conference and in Texas. Kobie Douglas, Robert Johnson and Adrian Norwood each started all 11 games in the secondary while Douglas and Johnson each earned all-conference honors.
As a first-year member of the Southland Conference in 2014, the defensive secondary for UIW was young with only one senior in the core group. Kobie Douglas earned honorable mention all-conference honors after breaking up 10 passes, the fourth best mark in the conference. Junior college transfer Robert Johnson stepped right in at safety and provided consistency in a season that saw one starter suffer a season-ending injury and incorporate another former starter who was coming back from a season-ending injury in 2013.
The 2013 group limited opponents to a 57.4 completion percentage and a school record 134.4 passer rating. Both starting safeties were recognized as Third Team College Sports Madness All-Independent honorees.
In 2012, Devan Avery blossomed into a shutdown cornerback who received LSC Second Team and Daktronics Super Region 4 Second Team honors and Kielyn Lewis was second in the LSC with four interceptions.
The 2011 season brought into focus the work that Debose had done with the secondary. Devin Haywood intercepted a pass in each of the first seven games of the season and finished seventh in the nation. Overall, the group picked off 11 passes with both safeties earning Second Team All-LSC honors.
In the program’s first year, safety Aaron Hernandez picked off five passes and finished 14th in the nation. Hernandez and fellow safety Chaz Pavliska earned earned d2football.com All-Independent honors.
Debose began his coaching career at his alma mater, Southeastern Oklahoma. He coached wide receivers and groomed a pair of all-conference performers. The following year he moved to Texas A&M-Kingsville and tutored First Team All-American cornerback Rod Mosley.
A 2006 graduate of Southeastern Oklahoma, Debose was a four-year starter at defensive back. He finished his career with 154 tackles and three interceptions. He earned Honorable Mention All-LSC honors as a freshman.
A product of Houston Westbury High School, Debose received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Southeastern Oklahoma. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in broadcast journalism and his master’s degree is in secondary education. He and his son, Kasen, reside in San Antonio.
