Football
Nicholson, Matt
Matt Nicholson
- Title:
- Strength & Conditioning Coach
- Email:
- matt.nicholson@umontana.edu
- Phone:
- 243-2969
TWITTER - @nicholsonm30
Nicholson is in his fifth season as the Grizzly football program’s strength and conditioning coach.
He came to Montana from Colorado School of Mines in 2015 where he coached the linebackers as well directed the strength and conditioning program for the football team, in addition to other sports, for two years.
In his last season at Mines, the Orediggers went 10-2 and tied for the conference championship with an 8-1 league record and advanced to the NCAA playoffs. The 10-2 record gave Mines its 13th winning season in 15 years and program-record eight-straight winning seasons overall. Two of Nicholson’s linebackers, Kole Kadavy and Billy Sprague, were selected to the first team All-RMAC.
In 2013, the Orediggers posted an 8-3 record, including a 7-2 record in the RMAC to finish 2nd in the league. Nicholson’s pupil, Tyler Denson, was a first team All-RMAC selection.
Prior to Golden, Nicholson spent three years as an assistant coach at his alma-mater, the University of Houston. He spent nine months as a weight room assistant before joining the football staff as a graduate assistant. He assisted with the linebackers in 2011 and helped the club to rank amongst national leaders in sacks, tackles-for-loss and interceptions. Additionally, the Cougars posted a 13-1 record and won the Ticket City Bowl against Penn State in the 2011 campaign. In 2012, he was a defensive backs assistant before returning back to a linebacker assistant in 2013.
Nicholson also was selected to be the head football coach for the Houston Youth Impact Program in 2011. The Youth Impact Program was designed to mentor at-risk youth by combining academic and life skills tutoring with football skills. Over 100 middle school-aged boys joined the program.
Nicholson played linebacker at Houston from 2006-2010, racking up 179 tackles, despite missing 20 games his final three season due to injuries. Starting his career as a walk-on and progressing to a scholarship player, he played in 47 career games for the Cougars and served as a team captain during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He was named Tom Wilson Off-season MVP in both 2009 and 2010 and was also named Houston’s special teams player of the year in 2006 as a true freshman walk-on. He was also a 2010 Burlsworth Trophy nominee, which is awarded to college football’s most outstanding player who began their career as a walk-on.
A graduate of Plano Senior High School, Nicholson helped carry the Wildcats to a 13-1 record and an appearance in the regional finals as a senior. Nicholson was an honorable mention 5A all-state selection as a senior for the wildcats in football in addition to being named first-team all-state in lacrosse.
The Nicholson File
Hometown: Plano, Texas
Alma Mater: Houston (B.S. Kinesiology/Sport Admin., M.S. Human Resource Development)
Playing Experience: Houston
Family: Son, Ryan
Accreditations:
Coaching Experience
Nicholson is in his fifth season as the Grizzly football program’s strength and conditioning coach.
He came to Montana from Colorado School of Mines in 2015 where he coached the linebackers as well directed the strength and conditioning program for the football team, in addition to other sports, for two years.
In his last season at Mines, the Orediggers went 10-2 and tied for the conference championship with an 8-1 league record and advanced to the NCAA playoffs. The 10-2 record gave Mines its 13th winning season in 15 years and program-record eight-straight winning seasons overall. Two of Nicholson’s linebackers, Kole Kadavy and Billy Sprague, were selected to the first team All-RMAC.
In 2013, the Orediggers posted an 8-3 record, including a 7-2 record in the RMAC to finish 2nd in the league. Nicholson’s pupil, Tyler Denson, was a first team All-RMAC selection.
Prior to Golden, Nicholson spent three years as an assistant coach at his alma-mater, the University of Houston. He spent nine months as a weight room assistant before joining the football staff as a graduate assistant. He assisted with the linebackers in 2011 and helped the club to rank amongst national leaders in sacks, tackles-for-loss and interceptions. Additionally, the Cougars posted a 13-1 record and won the Ticket City Bowl against Penn State in the 2011 campaign. In 2012, he was a defensive backs assistant before returning back to a linebacker assistant in 2013.
Nicholson also was selected to be the head football coach for the Houston Youth Impact Program in 2011. The Youth Impact Program was designed to mentor at-risk youth by combining academic and life skills tutoring with football skills. Over 100 middle school-aged boys joined the program.
Nicholson played linebacker at Houston from 2006-2010, racking up 179 tackles, despite missing 20 games his final three season due to injuries. Starting his career as a walk-on and progressing to a scholarship player, he played in 47 career games for the Cougars and served as a team captain during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He was named Tom Wilson Off-season MVP in both 2009 and 2010 and was also named Houston’s special teams player of the year in 2006 as a true freshman walk-on. He was also a 2010 Burlsworth Trophy nominee, which is awarded to college football’s most outstanding player who began their career as a walk-on.
A graduate of Plano Senior High School, Nicholson helped carry the Wildcats to a 13-1 record and an appearance in the regional finals as a senior. Nicholson was an honorable mention 5A all-state selection as a senior for the wildcats in football in addition to being named first-team all-state in lacrosse.
The Nicholson File
Hometown: Plano, Texas
Alma Mater: Houston (B.S. Kinesiology/Sport Admin., M.S. Human Resource Development)
Playing Experience: Houston
Family: Son, Ryan
Accreditations:
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the NSCA
- USA-Weightlifting (USA-W) Level 1 Sports Performance Coach
- Functional Movement Screen Certified (FMS)
- Certified Speed and Agility Coach (CSAC) by Athlete’s Acceleration
- UM NFL Liaison
Coaching Experience
| 2011 - 2012 | Houston (DB/LB) |
| 2013 - 2014 | Colorado School of Mines (S&C/LB) |
| 2015 - Present | Montana (S&C) |
Griz Volleyball Press Conference - 9/8/25
Tuesday, September 09
Griz Football vs. Central Washington Highlights - 9/6/25
Tuesday, September 09
Griz Football Press Conference - 9/8/25
Monday, September 08
Griz Football vs. Central Washington Press Conference - 9/6/25
Monday, September 08
