Just a couple of weeks after Aaron Gottlied signed a letter of intent with Milligan University for Cross Country, his twin brother, Nolan, has signed with Cumberland University to continue his football career. Family, friends, and coaches gathered at DCHS last Friday during a ceremony celebrating the signing.

“I chose Cumberland because it is close to home and it’s a good school,” Gottlied said. He went on to say that he plans to study physical therapy and someday own a chiropractic clinic.

Originally from White County, Gottlied said when he moved to DeKalb he became interested in football. “I was in middle school when I really started liking football and wanted to play when I got to high school”, Gottlied continued.

When asked about his kicking skills, Gottlied said it’s something you have to work at. “You just really have to practice. It’s like art, you just can’t put something on a canvas because it won’t look all that great but after you work on it for so long it gets really good,” he said.

Tiger Coach Steve Trapp had high praise for his former player.  “He has punted for us the last couple of years. This last year as a senior he did a really good job pinning teams deep and changing field position. He is kind of a self-made punter,” Coach Trapp said.

“I remember him coming in as a freshman. Coach Cagle, who was helping us coach at the time, said we’re going to make a punter out of him. Credit to Gottlied and his family because on Sundays you would see them out here on the field throwing and kicking back and forth and just working. That is something he is still doing today. He comes out once or twice a week and he will be out there kicking the football by himself. He’ll run it down and then kick it back, so he continues to work,” Coach Trapp continued.

Coach Trapp said Gottlied’s kicking skills really helped the Tigers. “He had a lot inside the 20-yard line and was really close to a 50-yard average, and for high school that is really good, and he is only going to get better because that is all he will have to worry about. He played receiver for us, and he gave us depth on the defensive back end last year. He played a little at linebacker early on. He’s done a lot of different things for us but what sets him apart is that he is a super great kid and has a super great family and the work ethic that he has. That is what has allowed him to have this opportunity to continue to play football at Cumberland.”

Gottlied was the 2022 Special Teams’ Player of the Year for the Tigers, and the Region 4 Class 4A Most Outstanding Punter. He said that his favorite moment as a Tiger was in the state play-offs in November 2021 when as a junior, when he had a pick six against East Hamilton that helped the Tigers advance to the second round that year.

Cumberland is a private university in Lebanon, founded in 1842 and is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Mid-South Conference.