Last year at this time, Adam Nissley was annoyed.

The South Forsyth graduate was just plain irritated that his Central Florida Golden Knights were shut out of the bowl picture following a 4-8 season.

Flipping on the tube over the holidays and seeing teams his Knights had taken on earlier in the season getting one last chance to play in front of America in sunny locales across the nation just made it worse for Nissley, who had started at tight end and right tackle during his freshman season.

“I just remember sitting there watching the teams that we had played on TV playing in their bowl game, and it made me [think] ‘Gosh, man, I wish we were in that bowl,’” Nissley recalled.

This December, there was none of that.

With former Georgia Tech head coach George O’Leary at the helm for the fifth season, the Knights turned things around, going from 4-8 to 8-4 this year. Their reward was a spot opposite Rutgers in the St. Petersburg Bowl, just down the road from UCF’s Orlando campus.

While Nissley and the Knights were defeated 45-24 in their bowl outing, just being there meant UCF had proved something. Central Florida finished second in Conference USA’s East division this year, just a game behind eventual conference champs East Carolina.

“This year we came out and we were bound and determined to have a better season ... so we came out and worked hard and it payed off in the end,” said Nissley, who caught 10 passes for 159 yards as the Knights’ starting tight end in this, his sophomore season.

Nissley graduated from South in 2007 and redshirted his first season in Orlando, a season his teammates won the C-USA crown.

Nissley said the entire bowl week was a blast, with a party on the St. Pete pier with a live band, and a “beach bash” with a water slide, swimming pool and dance contest. Plus, there were plenty of UCF fans who made the short trip down Interstate 4 to support the team.  

While he spends some time at home waiting for next semester, Nissley finds himself trying to adjust to the changes Forsyth County has seen in the short time since he graduated high school.

Two new high schools have opened, and football fields have been outfitted with artificial turf.

“I remember whenever we were playing, if it rained, that field [at South] used to get so swampy. People would get stuck in the mud on the opposing team’s sideline,” he recalled.

Nissley was away at college when The Avenue Forsyth development opened, and the widening project on Highway 141 was still in its early stages when he moved away.

“Definitely it’s different. Sometimes I don’t even think I’m in the same place, but I still love it. It’s my home,” he said.

On perhaps the most divisive question in college football, Nissley himself is divided. As a player, he doesn’t want to see the bowl system disrupted, but the fan in him would prefer a college football playoff to the BCS system.

“The bowl game is there for the players and the coaches for an award for a good season, but I feel like [with] a playoff, you wouldn’t get that kind of stuff,” he said.

“As a fan, I would like to see a playoff because that would be more competitive and more interesting as a fan watching, but as a player, I like the BCS.”

Nissley is currently chasing a general studies degree, with a triple minor in hospitality, criminal justice and coaching.

“I can see me on the sidelines with a whistle. ... I’ve definitely thought about that,” he said, while noting that a hospitality career in tourism-rich Orlando is also a possibility.

One thing that Nissley always keeps in mind is his rare opportunity to represent Forsyth County at a high profile university. He says he’s been in touch with former South teammate Brian Adams, now at Kentucky, and talked about the chance to bring more eyes to Forsyth County players.

“I love Forsyth County. This is where I was born and raised and it’s my home, and I want to represent it well and make everybody here proud,” Nissley said.