In Play(er) of the Week, our goal is to highlight outstanding Wesleyan athletes or moments from games that deserve extra attention. 

Niko Candido ’25 is a quarterback on the Wesleyan football team. After splitting QB duties last season with veteran David Estevez ’22, this year he has stepped into the position full time and he is already making his mark. In the Cardinals’ season-opening 28–17 victory over Bates, Candido threw for 341 yards, went 28-for-37 on passing (which gave him a 75.7% completion percentage), and had three touchdowns. For his exceptional performance, Candido was awarded NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career. The Argus sat down with Candido to discuss the Cardinals strong start to the season, his history with the sport, and his ambitions for the team going forward.

The Argus: Can you introduce yourself?

Niko Candido: I’m an economics major with a data analysis minor, and I’m from Studio City, California.

A: When and why did you start playing football?

NC: I started playing football when I was around seven years old. My dad really wanted me to start playing. I started as a receiver, tight end type. The way he would see if I could play was I would be jumping on my trampoline and he would throw a football to me and try and make me make diving catches and hard catches. I would make them and then after that he was like, “Okay, I’m signing you up for football now and you’re gonna go straight to tackle.” And ever since then I just loved it and never stopped playing. I changed to quarterback around eighth grade, got recruited to play in high school, and now I’m here. 

A: How did you end up picking Wesleyan?

NC: I chose Wesleyan because I went to Kent School [as] a postgraduate in Kent, Connecticut. And so I had heard about all the NESCACs and I heard about the great education and the great skill of football and competition and I thought that it’d be a perfect mix. I also actually had two of my best friends from home: Zach Thannum ’24, who was on the football team the last three years, and Nate Aszkenazy, who was on the football team as well but transferred due to a career-ending injury. But basically they were like, “You gotta come, trust me, I think you’ll have a great time here.” So I didn’t even visit and I listened to them and honestly, it was the best choice of my life. 

A: You didn’t visit?

NC: It was during COVID.

A: Oh, that’s fair. What do you think makes Wesleyan’s football team special?

NC: I think especially this year what makes it special is really the bond that we all have together, offense and defense. I think we all just really enjoy each other’s presence. And because our team has a hundred players, it’s tough to have events where everyone can go. And I think this year we’ve tried really hard with the seniors and upperclassmen to bring everyone together and build that bond and love each other like brothers. During camp we got super close with the freshmen, and it really shows on the field. We want to fight for each other and not just win a game, but to do it together.

A: What’s your favorite part about playing quarterback and what’s the hardest part?

NC: I think the most thrilling part of playing quarterback is being able to control a game with the help of your whole team. I would say it’s scary and there’s a lot of pressure on you, but I think that it’s a lot of fun when you do come out successful and when your team all fights for you and you see it from a different perspective of being the quarterback on the field. Like the receivers making great plays, the running backs making great cuts and reads, the linemen pushing their asses off and really fighting for you. It’s an amazing feeling. I would say the hardest part about it is there’s a lot going on all the time and you need to be able to take that in and just roll with it. You can’t let any plays affect you and that’s hard.

A: How do you deal with that?

NC: I would say as a little kid I definitely had some issues with being dramatic. I would get really pissed and mope around. My dad really helped me through a lot of it, and my previous coaches, and they pushed me and gave me confidence, and it’s not all about what happened in the past. It’s all about what happens in the future. And I’ve done some readings of books on it. I’ve done a lot of mental strengthening activities that help a lot, too.

A: You’re a scholar.

NC: It’s called “The Game of Football.”

A: Is there any significance behind why you’re number 19?

NC: Well, actually, it’s funny, I don’t really like number 19. Number 10’s been my number my whole life. But when I first got here, they gave me 19, and this year we had some troubles with orders, so they offered for me to switch to something else and I figured that I didn’t want to go for three numbers in a row. So I was like, “You know what, I’ll stick with 19 and then go with number 10 for my senior year.” And honestly, I think 19 is kind of cool because not many quarterbacks wear that. But I definitely wanna switch to 10 next year for my senior year. 

A: And if you add the digits up, one and nine adds up to 10.

NC: Oh, exactly. I didn’t even think about that, but let’s say I thought about that.

A: So last year, you made your college career debut unexpectedly during the Hamilton game when Ashton [Scott ’22] got injured. What was the experience of making your college debut like?

NC: I remember Ashton went down and them giving me the call that I was going in for the second half to start. And I remember sitting in the locker room beyond excited, but also super nervous. Luckily, I had [Scott] and [Estevez] rooting me on, teaching me a lot during halftime, and helping me go through everything. But it was so many different feelings coming because I hadn’t played for two years now, because freshman year I didn’t play and this half year I didn’t get to play, and the year before was COVID, so I only had one game. But I would say it was the best feeling to be back on the field being able to do what I love, and although it was really nerve-racking, it was amazing.

A: What’s your favorite memory from the 2022 season?

NC: I would say either my first touchdown or the Tufts game. The Tufts game was amazing and it was nighttime; everyone was there cheering us on. We played a great team and we came out with the win and it was such an awesome feeling because it was a super close game, it went to like the very last second. And everyone was so excited jumping around. The stands were going crazy. 

A: Did it feel different entering this season knowing that you were gonna be the starting quarterback?

NC: Yeah, it definitely felt different. It was still a competition during camp with a lot of talented quarterbacks in the QB room. So I came into camp and over summer prepared a lot for that. It felt a lot different because I wasn’t switching in and out with [Estevez]. So I had to really be a leader and be confident, which is really tough ’cause stuff can obviously go wrong all the time. But what I mainly focused on was staying positive and never getting down on my teammates because that won’t help.

A: So your season opener [against Bates], what was your experience like playing in that game?

NC: That was a really important game for us because it was the first game of the season with a lot of new and young players. Even though we’ve all got some playing time, it felt different without those seniors with us. It was a huge game to really testify what we were gonna be this season. So, on offense, the biggest game plan was just to take what they gave us because they were playing far back and it’s the first game of the year, so you never know how it’s gonna be timing wise, how we’re all gonna mesh. And I think the biggest part was to trust my line and my receivers, and they played amazingly. And the fact that I trusted them and can trust them has helped so much and it’s really shown on the field with our offense.

A: So for that game you earned NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in your career. What was the experience like winning that? 

NC: I thought it was a super cool award that I’ve been given. I honestly didn’t know if I was gonna get it or not, because there’s a lot of other talented players in this league. So once I finally did get it, it was an amazing feeling. I was super excited and living in the moment, but back in my mind was always that the biggest award of the season will be going 9 and 0. So I want to go one week at a time, and it was awesome winning that, but that’s in the past and that’s week one. So we just gotta keep trying to achieve goals every week and keep winning and go 1 and 0 every week. 

A: This past weekend, you guys played Middlebury, which obviously was gonna be a much harder game, and it ended up being very close right up until the end. 24–21 was the final score. So how did it feel to get that win and what do you attribute the success of the team in that game to? 

NC: I was definitely very nervous before the game because this was my first real start against a really good team that everything was on the line for an undefeated season. And honestly, our whole team played amazingly. Defense, special teams, my line, my receivers, my running backs, everyone played awesome. And our coaches did great play calling. It felt like a great team win, which is the best feeling. 

A: This weekend you guys play Hamilton. How do you feel about that?

NC: I think that Hamilton definitely has some talent on the team. And I think that if we don’t show up to win, then it will be a very close game and we can’t have that. What I keep stressing is all that matters is this week and we gotta come out and want to dominate, and we’ll hopefully come out with the win.

A: What are your hopes for the remainder of the season?

NC: My hopes for the remainder of the season are for everyone to stay healthy. We have so much talent across the board with our D-line, our linebackers, DBs, and our offense. And obviously the last goal of the season is to get that 9 and 0 NESCAC Championship. That’s what we all want.

A: Last question, most important question. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself as a neighbor [to your next-door neighbors in LoRise, including me]?

NC: 10. What do you mean? Definitely way lower. We’re so loud. I’d honestly give us an eight or—no, I’d say a seven because we’re definitely loud, but we want to be friends with all you guys and be kind and everything like that. We’re definitely kind guys, but we are loud, so if you ever need us to turn it down, just let us know.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.