Brett Hickman continues to prove his value as he enters his fifth season as a member of the Gardner-Webb staff. He remains in charge of the team’s running backs and tight ends – as well as coordinating the run game for GWU. Hickman will also continue to assist with special teams.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs lived up to their name in 2016, as the spread option attack produced a pair of 900-yard rushers for the first time in program history. Gardner-Webb topped the 200-yard mark as a team seven times on the season and had nine individual 100-yard rushing performances. Running back Khalil Lewis earned second-team All-Big South Conference honors and tight end Mike Estes earned a spot on the All-Big South Conference team for the third time in his four seasons – after leading the league’s tight ends in receptions for the third time. Estes finished his career as the all-time leader at the position in Big South history in catches, yards and touchdowns.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs also excelled on special teams, which has been the case since Hickman came to Gardner-Webb. Kicker Paul Schumacher earned second-team All-Big South honors and punter Andrew Komornik led the league in average yards per attempt. GWU led the Big South Conference in kickoff coverage as well, with Schumacher regularly booming balls into the end zone for touchbacks.
Gardner-Webb finished No. 7 nationally in kickoff return defense in 2015. Hickman also helped produce a much more effective rushing attack for GWU in 2015, despite a great deal of youth at the running back position throughout the year.
His work with Estes produced an All-Conference season, as he led the league in receptions for the position. Estes’ five touchdown catches in 2015 were the most ever for a Big South tight end. Hickman’s work with special teams paid dividends in 2014, with kickoff and punt return specialist J.J. Hubbard garnering All-America honors from College Sporting News and All-Big South honors at both positions. Hubbard tied a Big South record with his third career kickoff return touchdown in October, taking a 95-yarder to the house against Charlotte. That day, Gardner-Webb special teams also recovered a muffed punt in a 27-24 homecoming victory. Komornik came on midway through the season and excelled down the stretch.
Hickman’s impact on special teams was particularly notable in 2013, with Gardner-Webb making drastic improvements in all phases, particularly return yardage allowed. GWU led the Big South and ranked No. 6 nationally in punt coverage, allowing just 3.0 yards per return on average. GWU also led the league in net punting, with first-year kicker/punter Jordan Day earning All-Big South honors as a result. Led by return ace JJ Hubbard, Gardner-Webb ranked 25th nationally and led the Big South in kickoff return average, with Hubbard returning one for a score against No. 12 Charleston Southern. GWU also ranked No. 30 nationally in kickoff coverage.
Individually, Day ranked No. 16 nationally in field goal percentage and No. 20 nationally in field goals made per game – a stat GWU also led the Big South in as a team. In wins over No. 11 Richmond and No. 8 Wofford, Day accounted for all of Gardner-Webb’s scoring to valut GWU into the national top-25 for the first time since 2003. Hickman also had a successful debut as the team’s running backs coach, with Juanne Blount earning second-team All-Big South honors after rushing for a career-high 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns.
Hickman joined the Gardner-Webb football program after spending the previous four seasons building North Greenville University into one of the region’s strongest Division II programs. Hickman spent the 2012 season as North Greenville’s co-Defensive Coordinator and coached the team’s linebackers. That group accounted for four of the team’s top-6 tacklers, with Nick Rodgers pacing the Crusaders with 75 total hits. A.J. Jones (67 tackles), Jonathan Sharpe (53 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss) and Braelen Meredith (52 tackles, 13 TFL, 6.5 sacks) helped North Greenville win five of its final six games and keyed a defense that allowed its opponents to convert just 29 percent on third down –- which ranked No. 7 nationally in NCAA Division II.
In 2011, Hickman served as Special Teams Coordinator and coached inside linebackers. The Crusaders posted the best season in school history in 2011, going 11-3, earning an at-large berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs and advancing all the way to the quarterfinals before dropping a tight contest to traditional national power Delta State (Miss.).
North Greenville’s defense allowed just 19.1 points and 309.6 yards per game in 2011. The Crusaders ranked among the national leaders in scoring defense (No. 18), total defense (No. 31), rushing defense (No. 37) and pass efficiency defense (No. 19). Hickman’s special teams played a major role in the team’s success, ranking No. 19 nationally in punt returns (14.1 yards per attempt) and leading NCAA Division II in punt coverage. The Crusaders had three punt returns of 40 yards or more and three special teams touchdowns in the final six games of the season – including a punt return and kick return score in the playoff win over Albany State.
During his three seasons in charge of special teams, Hickman’s charges scored nine touchdowns and blocked a total of 22 kicks. In 2010, Hickman helped North Greenville to a 7-3 mark that included a 34-17 win at current Big South Conference member Presbyterian. The Crusaders were again strong in the final national stats, ranking highly in turnover margin (No. 14), net punting (No. 15), rushing defense (No. 22), punt return average (No. 23), scoring defense (No. 31), pass efficiency defense (No. 32) and total defense (No. 32). North Greenville also ranked No. 20 nationally in kickoff coverage and led the nation in punt coverage North Greenville finished the 2009 season ranked No. 3 nationally in punt returns, averaging 19.5 yards per attempt. The Crusaders also ranked No. 15 nationally in kickoff coverage that season.
Prior to his arrival in Tigerville, Hickman spent two seasons as an undergraduate assistant and one year as quality control coach on defense under Skip Holtz at East Carolina. Hickman worked with both linebackers and defensive backs, and gained experience coaching the Pirates’ offensive scout teams.
During his time in Greenville, N.C., the Pirates played in three bowl games and won the 2008 Conference USA title. Hickman graduated from East Carolina with a degree in history in 2009. He is married to the former Sara Veale of Cary, N.C. The couple welcomed their son, Henry John, in May, 2015.
Hickman’s father, Yogi Hickman, was a longtime successful football coach on the prep level at St. Paul’s (N.C.) High and West Brunswick (N.C.) High near the coast. The elder Hickman won nearly 80 percent of his games and racked up 10 league titles during his career.
