Damel Hickman

Position:
Cornerback
Height:
6-0
Weight:
180
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Charlotte
High School:
Butler
Major:
Health Fitness Specialist

Prior to 2022 season: Three-year lettermen who has played in 25 career games mostly as a special teams member … Booked eight career stops (all solo) … Five of eight tackles have come on special teams … Tallied one TFL (-2 yards) coming in the 2021 season opener against Appalachian State … Registered multiple tackles in a game twice (2/UCF ’20, 2/Appalachian State ’21) … Picked off first career pass against UConn (2018) – no return.

2022: Booked one tackle and was credited with a pair of pass breakups against No. 13 NC State, earning his first career start ... Registered one solo tackle versus Old Dominion ... Tallied a pair of tackles (one solo) in the win over Campbell.

2021: Appeared in 11 games as a key member of special teams unit and in a reserve role in the Pirates’ secondary … Booked four stops (all solo) tying his career-high with two against Appalachian State … Registered first career TFL (-2 yards) versus the Mountaineers in the fourth quarter … One of four stops came as a member of defense (three special teams).

2020: Played in five games during the COVID-19 pandemic season … Booked four tackles (all solo) as a member of special teams unit … Also gained valuable experience in a reserve role in the secondary … Led the team with four special teams stops (2/UCF, 1/Tulane, 1/SMU) … Booked at least one stop in three of five games (multiple once).

2019: Appeared in five contest as a redshirt freshman … Experienced late season action against USF, Cincinnati, SMU, Connecticut and Tulsa, but did not record any official statistics … Earned promotion to defensive depth chart as Colby Gore’s top backup at cornerback prior to home tilt vs. Bulls.

2018: Maintained redshirt status after playing in four games during true freshman campaign … Experienced action as a defensive reserve and on special teams in contests vs. UCF, Memphis, Tulane and Connecticut … Was not credited with any tackles, but did record an interception against the Huskies (no return) … Picked off UConn quarterback Brandon Bisack’s pass at the ECU 39-yard line on a 2nd-and-10 play with 39 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter … Inked with the Pirates during the early signing period in December, 2017.

High School: Earned three letters and served as a team captain for coach Brian Hales at Butler … Was an All-Southwestern 4A Conference selection as a junior and senior … Collected 45 tackles, a pair of sacks, 10 pass breakups and five interceptions in 2017 while playing a key role in the Bulldogs’ 8-3 record, a conference co-championship (with a 6-1 league mark) and trip to the state playoffs … Credited with 42 stops, eight deflections and three picks as a free safety during junior campaign in 2016, a year in which BHS compiled a 12-2 ledger … Opened sophomore season as captain of BHS’s junior varsity squad before earning a promotion to the varsity unit and responding with 20 tackles, five pass breakups and one interception … Officially committed to ECU on June 18, 2017 … Also earned track letters, competing in sprints and relays for the Bulldogs … Reportedly was clocked at 11.31 in the 100 meters.

Personal: Full name is Damel Hickman … Born at Charlotte, N.C. … Son of Daniel Hickman and Melanie Taylor … Graduated in May 2022 with a health fitness specialist degree … Lists video games as hobby of choice … First name is pronounced deh-MELL.