‘Illinois got me ready’ – Bengals’ Nickerson and Fejedelem share Illini brotherhood
October 24, 2018 | Football
By Mike Pearson
FightingIllini.com
Clearly, University of Illinois football alums Hardy Nickerson and Clayton Fejedelem are different people who come from totally different backgrounds.
Nickerson's career in football was somewhat predestined, due to his dad's legendary career in the game, Fejedelem, on the other hand, had to fight and claw his way to stardom, playing two years of football at NAIA powerhouse St. Xavier before walking on at Illinois.
Nickerson attended eight different schools from kindergarten through his senior year of high school due to his father's profession as a National Football League player. Fejedelem (pronounced "FEDGE-uh-lemm") spent his first 18 years of life exclusively in Chicago's southwest suburb of Lemont.
However, there are some similarities between the two men as well. Both played abbreviated stints for the Fighting Illini football program. Both led Illinois in tackles during their senior seasons. And, despite their late arrivals in Champaign-Urbana, both earned the respect of their teammates by earning the title of captain.
Today, the former counterparts are more like brothers, both wearing the unique orange and black striped helmets of the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals. Both men are currently listed as top backups on Cincinnati's depth chart, Nickerson at middle linebacker and Fejedelem at strong safety. And they're both key members of Coach Marvin Lewis's special teams.
"Me and Clayton never played together at Illinois, but ever since I got here he's taken me under his wing," Nickerson said. "It been like, 'you're family'. We're always talking about Illinois."
Fejedelem praises his new buddy, too, saying, "Hardy's super cool."
A 2017 Bengals free agent signee, Nickerson played 14 games as a rookie linebacker, and chose the same jersey number—56—that his dad wore for the Buccaneers. According to Lewis, who also coached the elder Hardy in Pittsburgh, jersey numbers are only one of the likenesses that the father-son duo shares.
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Hardy Nickerson, the dad, played 16 NFL seasons and was a 5-time Pro Bowler. Young Hardy joined his father, who is in his third season as Illini defensive coordinator, on the sidelines at Soldier Field when Illinois hosted USF in September.
"Coach Marvin has nothing but good things to say about my Pop," young Hardy said. "He says we have a lot of similarities … the way we move, our personality on the field. Everybody says we have similarities in the way we play."
That's definitely a compliment, because "Pop" was a four-time All-Pro and a five-time Pro Bowl invitee. Because of his responsibilities as Illinois's defensive coordinator, Coach Nickerson doesn't get as many opportunities as he'd like to watch his son. But when he is able to get away …
"He's really soaking it in," young Hardy says. "He's even bought a jersey to wear. Pop really loves watching me play. He's just a proud dad when he comes to the games."
Nickerson said he's had numerous "Welcome to the NFL" moments.
"A few games into my rookie season, I'm in on the goal line package, looking at Aaron Rogers," he said. "You do your job on that play and then you come to the sideline and realize 'I was playing with him.' Now, that's every week. But the first couple times I was like, 'Man, I made it.'"
Nickerson is thankful he made the decision to come to Illinois.
"The whole structure of the program helped me prepare for the NFL," he said. "From day one, training camp at Illinois is just how training camp is here (with the Bengals). Scheduling, how we watch film, what we're looking at when we watch film, breaking down opponents, learning what the offense does, learning what we can do to defend it, and thinking more on a cerebral level. My experience at Illinois definitely got me ready to diagnose plays and play well."
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Nickerson (10) earned All-Big Ten honors, was a team captain, and led the team with 107 tackes during his one season at Illinois in 2016. Fejedelem (20), was All-Big Ten in 2015 after leading the conference in tackles (140) and also was a team captain.
Fejedelem, who wears No. 42 for the Bengals, has been one of Cincinnati's most improved players in 2018. His relentless work ethic is a result of his constant desire to prove himself as he rose through the ranks.
"I've always enjoyed the challenge, embraced it," he said. "I'm a competitive guy at heart, so the next challenge is to go out and prove myself. Going through the process and continuing to climb the ladder and go out and compete."
Fejedelem said growing up with two older brothers helped form his aggressive personality on the field.
"I hung out more with my older brother's friends than I did my own age group," he remembered. "So to hang around with the big boys, you just had to act tougher and act bigger than I was."
Nickerson might be Fejedelem's biggest fan.
"Talk about a great player in all phases, special teams and on defense, that's Clayton," Nickerson said. "He's a smart guy, a great leader, and someone you can always look up to. It's just awesome having him on our team and being able to go to battle with him every week."
Today, Fejedelem is one of six Bengal co-captains, sharing that honor with Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, Michael Johnson, Vincent Rey and Shawn Williams.
"Earning the respect from the guys is special, them knowing that they can count on me to put us in a position in win," he said. "They respect me and the way that I play, so that's huge."
Fejedelem was Cincinnati's Game 1 hero at Indianapolis. He forced a fumble on Colts tight end Jack Doyle, recovered it and returned it 83 yards for a game-sealing touchdown. The play came with 24 seconds left in the game, as the Colts were driving for a possible game-winning TD. Nickerson also was in on the play, helping to slow down Doyle before Fejedelem forced the fumble.
TAKE IT HOME, FEJEDELEM!
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 9, 2018
What a way to finish the game! WHO DEY!#CINvsIND #SeizeTheDEY pic.twitter.com/Ce788ijo8f
So, what's in Nickerson and Fejedelem's future after football? No doubt, they'll take advantage of their respective sports management and communication degrees from the University of Illinois. For now, though, they're completely focused on the "next game" and the balance of their gridiron careers.
NOTE: As of Oct. 24, the 4-3 Bengals are just percentage points behind the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2-1) in the AFL North Division. Nickerson has 27 tackles through the first seven games, fifth-best on the team, while Fejedelem has 20 tackles, an interception and a fumble return for a touchdown.
