FAYETTEVILLE -- Before Isaiah Nichols played football, his sport was futbol.
Nichols, a freshman defensive lineman for the Arkansas Razorbacks, was introduced to soccer -- known as futbol by most of the world -- late in his eighth-grade year at Lisa Academy in Little Rock.
NOTEWORTHY Early enrollee in January who went through winter workouts and spring practice. … Worked at defensive tackle in the spring. … Consensus three-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports. … Rated the No. 6 player in the state of Arkansas by ESPN and the No. 59 defensive tackle nationally. … As a senior at Springdale, had 73 tackles — including 30 for lost yards — and 8½ sacks.