By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Spear Reporter
San Jose State football’s Nick Nash was introduced to a mental health tool known as the “Flush Technique” last offseason.
“[You] clench your fist for 10 seconds and then release,” said Nash, a redshirt junior. “That’s like physically letting go of what had happened in the past.”
For the majority of Nash’s life, he was the quarterback. That was until Hawaii transfer Chevan Cordeiro arrived at San Jose in 2022 and won the starting job over him. “You put everything you have into the sport, and sometimes it’s just not good enough,” Nash said.
But instead of transferring schools, Nash let go of being SJSU’s quarterback and welcomed a move to wide receiver with open hands. An unlikely, but strong connection has formed between Nash and Cordeiro on and off the field. They’re now roommates who regularly face off in intense living room ping pong matches. “I’m trying to take his head off with the ping pong ball,” Cordeiro chuckled.
As a result, the Cordeiro-to-Nash combo could fill the void left by All-Mountain West First Team wide receiver Elijah Cooks (graduated) and guide SJSU through its brutally difficult upcoming schedule.
“It’s honestly really cool the way that our chemistry built,” Nash said.
After SJSU’s disappointing 2021 season, Nash “expected” the Spartans to bring in another quarterback. They brought in Nick Starkel from Arkansas prior to the 2020 season and Nash was used in non-quarterback roles while backing him up. This included a brief experiment at wide receiver in 2021.
Nonetheless, being in a quarterback battle with Cordeiro wasn’t easy, but Nash felt he was “in a great spot mentally” after learning a few mental health tools from the team’s sports psychologist, Dr. Joe Puentes.
“We have a stoplight analogy,” began Nash, “The red light means you’re in the red and you’re not feeling good. You’re angry, you’re out of your zone. Yellow light is almost to the red light like you’re not feeling great. And then green light is you’re feeling great.” Nash found deep breathing was “the biggest thing” into reaching that green zone.
Nash found the previously mentioned “flushing technique” to be extremely useful as well. In the past if Nash made a mistake, he’d try to immediately block out his frustration and anger.
“That’s when I would let it linger in the back of my head and I would still be upset about it without realizing,” Nash said. By utilizing the the flush technique Nash could move forward faster by acknowledging and accepting what took place.
“Saying like, ‘Okay, this is like designated time, you get to be angry about this right now. But after this 10 seconds, whatever it is, you can’t be mad about it and you have to move on to the next play,’” Nash said.
When the 2022 season kicked off, unfortunately for Nash, Cordeiro won the quarterback competition. “It was tough, obviously kind of feeling like I was on the outside looking into this program a little bit … I used what Dr. Joe had given me to try and not let it get to me mentally and just to stay strong,” Nash said.
All he could do was stand on the sidelines and watch Cordeiro dismantle defenses while leading SJSU to a 4-1 start.
Nash spent some time away from the program, but eventually came back thanks to support from his teammates and calls home to his dad, Kenny.
“My dad always says, ‘No matter what you do, I love you, and I’m here for you, and I’m gonna be behind you 100% … I don’t care if you transfer, if you stay, I’m still gonna love you either way,’” Nash said. “That same statement is how I felt about my teammates.”
So he returned and decided to transition full-time to wide receiver. “As the season went on, I said, ‘if I want to stay here I’m gonna have to switch positions,’” said Nash, who spent time at wide receiver in high school.
Eric Scott, SJSU’s wide receivers coach, was waiting for an encore to their brief experiment from 2021.
“I would always joke around with him and ask him, ‘You should come play receiver,’” Scott said. “You can’t have an athlete like Nick Nash not be involved on the team.”
Nash made his first catch on Oct. 29 in a win over Nevada and was quiet until he caught a perfectly laced back shoulder throw from Cordeiro for a touchdown during SJSU’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl loss.
“That was kind of like my moment to make a statement and say, ‘This is my home. I’m staying here,’” said Nash, who had four receptions for 51 yards. “Chevan was throwing me dimes that whole game and I realized that he liked throwing me the ball. So, why leave a quarterback that likes to throw you the ball?”
Heading into the off-season, Nash received another boost of confidence when Scott told him SJSU wouldn’t be looking for a wide receiver in the transfer portal.
“That was really me saying, ‘trust me with this decision.’ You know, it’s like, ‘Coach [Brennan and Offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven], we can do it with Nick Nash. Trust me we got a lot of experience, a lot of experience guys, we’re going to have really good depth. And he’s, you know, in my opinion, the best fit,” Scott said.
Scott’s trust in Nash spoke volumes. The Spartans entered 2023 without Cooks who led the Mountain West in touchdown receptions (10) and finished with the second-most receiving yards (1,076). Plus, Isaiah Hamilton (transfer portal) who amassed a team-high 137 receiving yards and a touchdown in last year’s bowl game.
During spring ball, Cordeiro frequently targeted Nash, who was making spectacular, contested catches in traffic. It was easy to forget they were gunning for the same job a year before.
“I think because of my understanding of quarterback, Chevan trusts that I know where I need to be, and when I need to be there,” Nash said.
Throughout their quarterback battle, the two were amicable but nothing more. “We weren’t hanging out every day or anything like that just because we’re competing for a job,” Nash said.
But now they’re roommates and hanging out all the time with one another.
“It’s like a TV show living in this house with them,” cracked redshirt sophomore quarterback Walker Eget who set up the infamous living room ping pong set.
“My bedroom door is actually right next to the ping pong table,” described redshirt sophomore wide receiver Branden Alvarez “I just hear banging from the ping pong ball coming out the door. I just hear screaming. Honestly, it’s hilarious. It’s an awesome time.”
With SJSU set to play a vaunted USC led by reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, Oregon State and the five highest-ranked teams in the Mountain West’s preseason poll, anything and everything could help — including ping pong.
It’s given Nash and Cordeiro another competitive outlet and a tool to sharpen hand-eye coordination. On a personal level, Cordeiro’s noticed ping pong has made him and Nash “more comfortable with each other and like a stronger relationship.”
During last season, Walker made an offhand comment to Nash when he and Cordeiro were trading quarterback reps – and not table tennis backhands – with each other: ‘If you guys weren’t competing for a job, you guys would be best friends.’
As the 2023 season revs up, Walker’s comment is beginning to resonate.
“Now that he’s moved in with me I can see that,” Nash said.