The question of where Nathan Storch would attend college was never in question. Would Nathan Storch be a member of the football team? That is one that took a little more time to answer.
 
Storch first set foot on The Citadel's campus when he accompanied his older brother to a football camp one summer.
 
"From the moment I set foot on campus, I knew this is where I wanted to go to school," recalled Storch.
 
Storch played fullback at Dorman High School where he helped the Cavaliers to a 14-1 record and a trip to the state championship game as a senior.
 
"Not many people expected a lot from us that season," said Storch. "We knew we had the potential to be pretty good and we proved that on the field. Unfortunately, things did not end the way we would have liked in falling in overtime to Dutch Fork in the title game."
 
When he walked off the field on that December day, it was not known if that would be the last time he stepped onto a football field. Storch had been trying to get in contact with the coaches at The Citadel, but things were made more difficult when the pandemic hit.
 
It took until about midway through the spring before Storch was able to get in touch with the coaching staff. Once in contact, Storch had one simple message, "all I want is a chance, just give me a chance to be on the scout team."
 
When late summer came, Storch reported for camp and felt a little out of place.
 
"When I finished playing in high school I was about 255 pounds," said Storch. "When I arrive on campus, I was about 215 pounds. Nobody had seen me since my last game so they assigned me No. 77 and sent me to the defensive line meeting room. After about five minutes, I knew this was not where I needed to be."
 
Storch made the decision to find his way to the B-Back room for the next round of meetings. He was accepted into the group and was assigned to the scout team for fall camp.
 
As the fall season progressed, things started to take shape for Storch. He was working hard on the scout team, and other circumstances saw him start to work his way up the depth chart.
 
When the Bulldogs closed out their fall season at Army West Point, Storch found himself as the backup B-Back on the depth chart. That meant making the travel squad for the first time. It also meant getting on an airplane for the first time.
 
The fall turned into the spring and the Bulldogs were preparing for their eight-game schedule. As preseason practice got going, Storch once again found himself near the top of the depth chart. But in one quick instant, he thought it was all gone.
 
"As the season was getting closer, I unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19," said Storch. "I had been working so hard and thought my chance may be gone. I was forced to quarantine for two weeks. I wasn't able to go to practice or the weight room, and had to take all of my classes via zoom.
 
There was not a whole lot you can do when you confined to a room. I tried to stay involved with what was going on by watching the film from practice. That helped me to continue to see what was being installed at practice, and also pass the time. I had to do something to stay in shape so I spent a lot of time doing pushups and wall sits."
 
Once returning to the practice field, Storch realized that his opportunity was not lost. He would get his shot in front of the home crowd against Chattanooga.
 
Storch had not carried the football since his days of playing peewee football, but on this spring afternoon, he would carry the ball 19 times for 50 yards.
 
The effort did not go unnoticed by the coaching staff as Storch moved to the top of the depth chart for the game at Western Carolina.
 
The Citadel wasted little time in getting the ball to Storch as he carried the ball six times on the opening possession. The sixth carry is one that he will not forget as he bulldozed his way into the end zone for his first career touchdown.
 
That was just the beginning as Storch would go on to carry the ball 33 times for a career-high 125 yards against the Catamounts.
 
Storch has started each of the last three games and ranks second on the team with 99 carries and 398 rushing yards. In his return home last Saturday, Storch carried nine times for 89 yards, including a career-long 64-yard run in the third quarter.
 
Storch and the rest of the Bulldogs have two more games remaining this spring, starting with their final home game on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Furman.

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