Nicholls State University Men's Football

Rebowe quickly turned things around as the team nearly won two of its first three conference games before ending a lengthy losing streak with a victory over Houston Baptist. With their first taste of victory since 2013, the Colonels went to close out the season with two more wins in its final three games highlighted by a thrilling 27-24 victory in the River Bell Classic at Southeastern Louisiana.   Rebowe vowed to build the program by recruiting local talent, and his two first recruiting classes consisted of 49 Louisiana natives out of a total of 52 signees. In his first signing class, Rebowe welcomed 26 student-athletes - all from the Pelican State and the majority coming from within a 100-mile radius of Thibodaux. The 2016 recruiting class has been donned by some as the best in the programs history.   Rebowe, a 53-year old native of Norco, La., was named head football coach on Nov. 21, 2014, becoming the 10th in the program's history. Rebowe, who coached at Louisiana-Lafayette as an assistant for 11 seasons and was a former assistant coach at Nicholls for six years, not only brought a wealth of experience coaching at the collegiate level, but has strong ties to the state of Louisiana having coached within the borders his entire career. Rebowe helped lead the Ragin' Cajun program to four consecutive New Orleans Bowl victories and a conference championship under head coach Mark Hudspeth. During his tenure at ULL, Rebowe served as the safeties coach (2004-07, 2011-14) and linebackers coach (2008-10). In 2014, ULL's defense ranked first in the Sun Belt in rushing yards allowed and red zone defense, while ranking second in points allowed. The defense finished with seven interceptions on the year, including two by cornerback Corey Trim, who was named All-Sun Belt Second Team Defense. Under Rebowe's tutelage in 2013, the Cajuns tied for the conference lead with 14 interceptions. Two years prior, his safeties combined for five interceptions, with three returned for touchdowns.   Rebowe's group had a stellar year in his first season as defensive backs coach in 2004 as the defense ranked 11th in the nation in passing yards allowed. Both of his starting safeties that year, C.C. Brown and Antwain Spann, would go on to the NFL. The following season, the pass defense finished 23rd in the nation in yards allowed.   As a linebackers coach, Rebowe guided the team's leading tackler in all three seasons and also had two players earn All-Sun Belt recognition.   In 1995, Rebowe took his first collegiate job, joining Darren Barbier's staff at Nicholls. From '95-'99, he served as defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator before coaching the receivers in 2000. Rebowe was part of the biggest turnaround in FCS history as the Colonels went 0-11 in '95 before earning a playoff spot the very next season with an 8-4 mark.   Rebowe began his coaching career in 1988 at his alma mater, Destrehan High School. While there, he coached Super Bowl Champion and future NFL Hall of Famer Ed Reed.   Following his stint with Nicholls, Rebowe coached the cornerbacks at ULM from 2001-03.   Rebowe earned his bachelor of science in physical education from LSU in 1987. He is married to the former Kim Robichaux and they have a daughter, Samantha, and a son, Tyler, who graduated from Nicholls in the spring of 2016.  

Christophels direction, the Colonel offense closed out 2015 on a high note by averaging 27.3 points and 433.3 yards over the final four contests. In the win at Lamar, Nicholls posted a season-high 559 yards of total offense, helped by an astounding 415 yards rushing. The single-game total on the ground was the most for the program since 2007 when the Colonels rushed for 427 yards against Texas State. Christophel, a native of Reading, Ohio, joined the Colonel staff after spending eight seasons at Missouri State as the Bears offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. A veteran with more than 20 years of experience at the college level, Christophels ties to Louisiana, as well as Coach Tim Rebowe, came before his stint at Missouri State. From 2001-06, Christophel served as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Louisiana-Lafayette. During his tenure, ULL ranked seventh in the FBS in rushing offense in 2005 while leading the Sun Belt in nine offensive categories. In 2006, the Ragin Cajuns were 14th nationally and first in the Sun Belt in rushing offense and second in total offense. At Missouri State, Christophels offense produced several national and conference high-ranking marks. In 2013, his Bears produced the second-most rushing yards (1,484) of any MVFC school in league games, and after helping engineer an offense that ranked 20th nationally in pass efficiency in 2011, his offense garnered another national ranking in 2012, allowing just 1.36 sacks per game, which ranked 22nd nationally. Upon his arrival in Springfield in 2007, Christophel installed a no-huddle, spread offense that produced the highest scoring average in school history for an 11-game season in 2007 as the Bears averaged 36.3 points. The Bears also averaged 49.5 points at home and posted a 5-1 record. The following year, the offense was fueled by an All-American tight end in Clay Harbor, who collected AP All-America and first-team All-MVFC honors for the third straight year in 2009 and went on to be selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.   Likewise, the 2010 offensive unit produced aconsensus All-American in OT David Arkin who was picked by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. The 2010 Bears finished 13th in the nation in total offense (425.45) and 11th in rushing yards per game (214.18), while committing just 13 turnovers in 11 games.   From 1997 to 2002, Christophel was offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn., where the offensive units he guided were among the top 10 in passing offense and total offense in the NAIA from 1998-2000. Christophel held a similar position from 1992 to 1997 at Idaho State after coaching at Murray State from 1984 to 1991.   Christophel is a 1984 graduate of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn. He and his wife, Paula, have two sons - Eric, who played football at Missouri State, and Tyler.  

Murphy comes to Nicholls after spending three seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette as a graduate assistant. In the last two campaigns, he served as an assistant coach for the wide receivers and was the scout team coordinator. In 2012, Murphy assisted the Ragin Cajun coaching staff in daily operations and helped with film breakdown.   During his tenure at ULL, the team captured the 2013 Sun Belt championship, won at least nine games in each campaign and ended the season with a victory in the New Orleans Bowl. In 2013, wide receiver Jamal Robinson was named Second Team All-Sun Belt after recording 54 receptions for 862 yards and eight touchdowns.   Murphy, a native of Biloxi, Miss., played quarterback at Millsaps College where he earned a bachelors in history with a minor in education in 2012.

Rybacki, a native of Huntsville, Ala., joins the Colonel staff after coaching one season at Southland Conference member Central Arkansas in 2014. At UCA, Rybackis cornerbacks contributed to 16 interceptions last season, which ranked second in the Southland.   Before coaching at UCA, Rybacki spent three seasons alongside Tim Rebowe at Louisiana-Lafayette as a graduate assistant. He coached the outside linebackers in his first two seasons (2011-12) before working with the secondary in 2013. While at ULL, the Ragin Cajuns won three straight New Orleans Bowl championships and were crowned co-champions of the Sun Belt in 2013.   A linebacker at Jacksonville State, Rybacki began his coaching career at his alma mater. He first served as a student assistant at JSU before coaching the cornerbacks in 2009-10.  During his two years as cornerbacks coach, the Gamecocks posted a record of 17-6, which included a win over FBS Ole Miss and a berth in the FCS Playoffs.   Rybacki received a bachelors degree in history from Jacksonville State in 2008. He went on to earn a master of public administration/athletic administration from JSU in 2009. 

Darion Monroe is in his first season (2025) as defensive coordinator. He joined the Nicholls State University football staff in 2022, serving as the cornerbacks coach before overseeing the secondary in 2024. Under his guidance in the '24 season, the defense ranked third in the FCS with 19 interceptions with 13 coming via the defensive backs. For the Colonels' championship campaign in 2023, the secondary tallied 11 of the Colonels' 16 picks en route to another top 10 ranking in the FCS.  Monroe came to Nicholls after two years as a graduate assistant at the University of Central Florida.  Monroe worked with the secondary while at UCF, helping the Knights to a Gator Bowl victory over the University of Florida. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Monroe's recruiting territory included Louisiana and Mississippi. Prior to UCF, Monroe spent 2019 as a defensive grad assistant working with safeties at Troy University. In 2018, he was assistant coach and passing game coordinator at Millsaps University in Jackson, Mississippi. A native of LaPlace, Louisiana, Monroe played at Tulane from 2012-15 as a safety. He earned All-Conference USA honorable mention as a sophomore and was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team in 2012. Monroe was the AAC Defensive Player of the Week in '14 and ended his career with over 300 tackles.  Monroe earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Tulane in 2016 and was a member of the Green Wave's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.  

Collin Guggenheim is in his first season (2025) as running backs and tight ends coach at Nicholls State University. Guggenheim exchanges his helmet for a whistle as he joins the staff after an accolade loaded career while dawning the Red & Gray. The two-time ALL-SLC first team selection played in 46 games across five seasons, accounted for 35 total touchdowns to rank tied for third in rushing TDs (33) and left as the second all-time leading rusher (3,282) in program history. A two-time Southland All-Academic selection, Guggenheim set a program single-season record with 103.3 yards rushing per game in 2021. In the River Bell Classic finale that season, the Kenner native rushed for the second-most yards in a single game in program history with 266 yards, which is also the most in a Southland game in team history and most vs. D1 opponent.   Guggenheim has been a staple in the Thibodaux community since his arrival in 2020. He gives back in various ways including beginning the Thibodaux Chapter of Special Olympics Louisiana where he hosts events that are inclusive for all.