CHARLESTON, S.C. -- When the college football transfer portal opened, Nikolas Mirabella never flinched. While others weighed their options or chased new opportunities, The Citadel defensive back knew exactly where he wanted to stay.

"I didn't think about it at all," Mirabella said. "The coaches have put their trust in me since I was a freshman, and that really meant a lot to me."

For Mirabella, that trust wasn't just a vote of confidence, it was the foundation of his future.

"That showed me the future I have here is great and I can do great things if they already trust me in my freshman year," he added.

The Citadel, with its unique culture and demanding environment, felt like home from the start.

"The school itself, the bond, you get two different bands of brothers with the corps and then with the team as well," Mirabella remarked. "That is just, you don't get that anywhere else."

For him, staying wasn't a sacrifice; it was a commitment to something bigger than himself.


 


The Strength in the Struggle

While some see the rigors of the corps as a hurdle, Mirabella embraces them as a source of strength.

"It's a struggle, you struggle going through it, but nothing good comes easy," he noted. "The challenge, this whole experience being hard makes you more disciplined. You get a lot of benefits out of it."

This semester, the sophomore earned rank for the first time, stepping into a position of leadership within the corps. "It's different now being on the other side of things going from being a knob to now having my own squad of knobs," he said. "You learn so much, and you know how to come at and treat different people. I look at the Corps of Cadets as more of a positive than a negative, even though not everyone seems to agree."

That same perspective carries over to the football field. "Even though our record last year didn't show it, we improved drastically this season compared to 2023," Mirabella added. "There was a few games we lost by, what, a couple points? Our record should have really been flipped, and I think that we really are putting the pieces together for this upcoming season."

As the program continues to rebuild, he's confident in the direction it's heading.

"With a few transfers and additions, we could really make a run, I believe," Mirabella concluded.


 


Stepping into Leadership

The offseason brought significant roster turnover, especially in the secondary room. "We took a big hit. We lost a lot of players," Mirabella said. "Especially the DB room. I feel like, even if they had stayed, I feel like with this being my junior year, I've become a veteran on the team. I think it's my time to step up and really run stuff."

That sense of responsibility is deeply tied to his relationship with head coach Maurice Drayton.

"Coach Drayton, really," Mirabella remarked when asked what kept him committed. "Especially the way Coach Drayton goes about his stuff, he's a man. It's me committing to him."

The Tampa, Fla., native has yet to take that commitment lightly, using the value of a full scholarship over four years at The Citadel as a measure of the faith Drayton and his staff have placed in cadet-athletes such as Mirabella.

"I feel if I were to be disloyal, I would be dishonoring him," he added. "He's offering me $250,000 for me to go to school for free. That is a huge deal to me. At the end of the day, it's a business, and if I don't go perform, I'm not making them a return on their investment. And that could be his job. That's a really big deal to me. Every day I'm gonna go out there and really put my all into everything I do for him."


 


'All We Got is All We Need'

With so many departures, the meaning of brotherhood has only grown stronger for Mirabella and the teammates who opted to stick around.

"This is the first time a big group of people had left in the portal," Mirabella said. "Now we really know we're riding for each other type of thing. We know we're serious. We're all trying to achieve one goal."

He believes the core group, combined with the right additions, can compete for a championship.

"I think if we bring in a few key parts, and I know the coaches are going to recruit for us, we can win the SoCon Championship if we do this the right way," Mirabella noted.

That optimism is matched by a clear understanding of what The Citadel experience offers beyond football.

"You don't see it now, but zooming out on your life, these four years here is worth way more than you can ever imagine," Mirabella remarked. "With your school being paid, there are many benefits that come along with that. If you stick to it, you're going to be thankful you did rather than leave. The grass isn't always greener when you go somewhere else."

He's seen firsthand how the program's messaging shapes the team's mentality.

"Coach Drayton likes to say a lot that no one is needed, 'Everyone is wanted, but no one is needed,'" Mirabella recalled. "If you want to be here, then you're going to be here, and everyone that stays, we're going to go win a championship together."

As the dust settles from the portal, Mirabella's focus remains unwavering.

"All we got is all we need," he concluded.

And with that mindset, he's ready to help lead The Citadel into a new era — one built on trust, discipline and a brotherhood that endures.