It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Brett Nottingham was recruited by former Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh to be the heir apparent to future No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck. But, as Nottingham learned, life doesn't usually follow direct paths. Two seasons following his arrival, Nottingham watched as Harbaugh departed for the San Francisco 49ers and new head coach David Shaw thought Josh Nunes outperformed Nottingham in camp for the starting job. Yet again, Nottingham played on-looker rather than starting quarterback his junior year.
So instead he transferred to Columbia, where he had to quickly digest his new playbook and adjust from west coast to east coast life. What didn't change was Nottingham's unfortunate luck. His first game as Columbia's starting quarterback he injured his wrist, forcing him to sit out the entire year. With the injury, he couldn't train or lift weights, couldn't do the things he wanted to advance himself properly.
A year later, Nottingham's back where he wants to be. Now, he's ready to lead Columbia as its starting quarterback. All because of the journey he had to follow to get here.
