He didn’t play football until his senior year of high school. An All-American at Endicott, Nick DiCairano is aiming for the NFL.
“There’s really nobody I know of who has a story like mine."
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Nick DiCairano is thinking about the NFL, and that dream isn’t as far-fetched for as you’d think for this Division 3 kicker.
“There’s really nobody I know of who has a story like mine,” DiCairano said.
A native of Trumbull, Conn., DiCairano, 22, didn’t start playing football until his senior year of high school. After two years splitting the kicking duties at Division II Pace University, DiCairano became an All-American at Endicott College.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound DiCairano connected on 25 of 32 on field goals and connected on 101 of 103 extra point attempts in his final two collegiate campaigns, earning a selection to the National Bowl College All-Star Game, where DiCairano picked up special teams MVP honors.
“Really the essence of my story is honestly how far I’ve come with the limited experience that I’ve had,” DiCairano said. “It’s not every day that you see a kid who only played one year of high school football going to play college athletics, earn a scholarship, then become All-American. Having it taken to the level where I have NFL teams interested, it’s still really surreal to think about how far I’ve come.”
After graduating from Endicott with his Criminal Justice degree — DiCairano wants to get a PhD from Northeastern and be a college professor and teach courses on social justice in education — the right-footed DiCairano has serious NFL prospects.
So much so, that longtime NFL kicker Nick Novak is coaching DiCairano through training and the entire professional process.
How they got in touch is all-too 21st century.
DiCairano added Novak on Facebook, sent him a message, and asked to train together. After a quick phone call and two days later, DiCairano flew to San Diego, Calif. to train with Novak for four days.
“I did respect how he sought me out like that,” Novak said. “I do have a lot of respect for Nick for taking the first step. Shows a lot of maturity, especially for a guy who is young and coming out of college.”
Novak broke down DiCairano’s film, they talked on the phone, and DiCairano flew out for the workouts. Novak was immediately impressed with DiCairano’s kickoff, an extremely important part of any NFL tryout, Novak said.
“I do think he’s got it,” Novak said. “I think he’s got the mental makeup, the fortitude. When I saw him kick for the first time, he had it.”
Undrafted out of Maryland, Novak played professionally from 2005-2017, including 10 seasons in the NFL. His best years came with the Chargers, where he played from 2011-2014 and 2017, ultimately earning a nod to the team’s All-Decade roster.
“It’s not going to happen always on your time or when you want it to happen.” Novak said. “It comes down to a lot of timing, the perfect situation.”
Novak, 38, kicked for the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL until it folded this year. He’s also started his own Novak Kicking consultation business, and he hopes DiCairano can someday provide a fantastic testimonial.
“He believes in himself, and you have to believe in yourself to make it in this league,” Novak said. “I certainly won’t take the credit for all of it. I really believe, as long as he’s committed to at least three to five years of grinding.”
Going down to go up
DiCairano spent his first two college football seasons kicking for Division II Pace University, splitting the kicking duties. DiCairano walked on at Pace, and got a scholarship the next season, but his friends from Pace had transferred already, and DiCairano felt “out of place.”
“I didn’t really have friends anymore,” DiCairano said. “I didn’t really have my group.”
DiCairano’s sister, Amanda, graduated from Endicott in 2009. The Gulls recruited him out of high school, but DiCairano thought Division 2 would be “bright eyed and bushy tailed.”
He knew of Endicott, and gave it a try.
“I loved Endicott because I knew their internship program was so strong, I’d be set for life, going there and getting that experience,” DiCairano said. “I also loved the coaching staff… and you can’t beat three beaches on campus.”
DiCairano did those internships at the Middlesex County House of Corrections and another at the Law Office of Kevin Patrick Seaver. Still, football is what’s next.
Pitch of the past
DiCairano comes from “a huge soccer family.” His father, Steve DiCairano played professional soccer Bologna in Italy. His two older brothers, Steven and Matt, starred on the pitch at St. Joseph’s in Trumbull. DiCairano started playing soccer at four.
As a freshman in high school, DiCairano had bilateral hip surgery from slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), and was in a wheelchair for six to eight weeks.
“It was rough,” DiCairano said.
DiCairano played varsity soccer for two seasons at St. Joseph’s, and then he decided to play football after getting a Twitter DM from one of the players saying they needed a kicker. DiCairano received an invite to practice and loved it.
“It was a very, very big shock to everyone involved,” DiCairano said. “My parents didn’t know I was playing football. I never told them until probably a week and a half until the first game. I was telling them I was going to soccer practice, when in reality I was going to football practice.”
Steve DiCairano, the former professional soccer player, “was not upset at all,” and thus, DiCairano’s football career was born.
On to the NFL, he hopes
When DiCairano went to train with Novak the week of the NFL draft, he also worked with Jason Myers, Hayden Hunt and other professionals.
Traveling during that time was risky, was it worth it?
“100 percent, DiCairano said. “100 percent.”
“Being in that environment and being around pros is priceless,” DiCairano continued. “I’d risk it every time. I’m ready for any opportunity, and training with Nick, my workout schedule is totally tailored for an NFL schedule.”
DiCairano got an invite to Holy Cross’s pro day in March, but it was cancelled. That, DiCairano said, hurt his draft stock. DiCairano signed with agent Logan Brown on May 19 and is still looking for a training camp invite.
“It’s really a unique year with everything going on with COVID and rookie minicamps getting canceled,” Brown said. “There’s a lot of unknown about rookie minicamps, but there will be tryouts.”
Brown’s been in contact with about eight teams so far, less than a week into their partnership.
NFL teams haven’t seen him kick in person, and DiCairano understands why he hasn’t gotten picked up yet. He and Brown think that time will come, but private workouts aren’t allowed to happen yet.
“Nick’s biggest problem is coming from a D3 school, not a lot of people know about him,” Brown said. “When he’s booting the ball 67 yards with ease through the uprights, he has a NFL leg.”
DiCairano will go back to work with Novak in early June. Novak will put him through different situations to prepare him for various game and workout settings.
“The more teams realize how Nick and the other guys trying to make it practicing this way, the more comfortable they’ll be trying to sign guys,” Novak said.
He expects NFL veterans to be relied on early, but kickers like DiCairano could earn spots later in the season.
“If a kid can kick, he can kick if he’s got that talent, which I believe Nick does, he’s going to make it,” Novak said.
DiCairano hopes that chance comes in late June. Every week, he does his own practice workout at one of a handful of local high school fields, the same routine he’ll do for the pros.
“My training schedule is very strict, Tuesdays are a simulated tryout,” DiCairano said. “I’m very, very dedicated to this dream.”
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