Anthony Nelson appears to have picked the right sport
IOWA CITY, Iowa – At first glance, Anthony Nelson looks more like a power forward in basketball than a defensive end in football.
He stands about 6-foot-7 and makes weighing 253 pounds look skinny.
But in Nelson’s case, looks are deceiving.
He is a football player with tremendous growth potential, literally and figuratively.
Nelson used to play basketball, and for a while in high school, thought his future might be on the hardwood.
Instead, though, Nelson is just hard on quarterbacks.
His ability to pressure the pocket with a strong burst off the line of scrimmage has helped Nelson become a significant contributor for the Iowa football team as a redshirt freshman.
“I would say that playing basketball in high school has really helped me a lot as a football player,” said Nelson, who leads Iowa with 3 ½ sacks heading into Saturday’s game against North Dakota State at Kinnick Stadium. "I don’t know if it has specifically helped with the burst, but it helps just to be able to use my hands and feet together and have good footwork and be able to control my hands and use them the right way.”
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz made reference to Nelson’s burst in late August, just days before the season opener against Miami of Ohio. Nelson hadn’t played in a game yet, but he had certainly made an impression in practice, showing a knack for getting to the quarterback despite being matched against Iowa’s starting offensive line.
"He’s giving them more than they want sometimes," Ferentz said. "He’s just a hard-charging guy.
"He’s not as mature or big or as developed yet as he will be for obvious reasons because he’s such a young player. But it’s not like he’s out of place out there, either, when he goes against the (starters)."
Nelson’s emergence couldn’t have come at a better time with Iowa having to replace Nate Meier and Drew Ott at defensive end. Ott had his 2015 season cut short by a knee injury, but he and Meier had been mainstays at defensive end.
Nelson was modest when asked on Tuesday about his ability to pressure the quarterback. He wouldn’t go as far as to say he has a knack for it.
“I wouldn’t say that," Nelson said. "I would just say that it’s a product of a lot of things going right just as a unit as a defensive line and as whole defense everybody just doing their job and then just playing with great effort.”
Nelson is the son of former Iowa defensive lineman Jeff Nelson, but there was no pressure on Anthony to follow in his father’s footsteps.
In fact, it was sort of just the opposite.
“My dad wasn’t an influence,” Nelson said. “And actually, my dad always said that he loved playing basketball better. But he just wasn’t as tall.
“He just said you’ve got to love whatever you do. And it’s going to be a lot of time and a lot of effort, so you’ve got to have a passion for what you go and pursue.”
For a while early in high school, Nelson thought basketball was his passion and in his future. He made all-conference as a junior and was tall enough to project at the next level.
“There was a time when I was better and thought I would be better in basketball, early in high school, probably like freshman and sophomore year,” said Nelson, who attended Waukee High School. “I had some success with basketball and thought I would be better in basketball. But it just took maturing and growing into my body to catch up with it.”
Nelson said he knew for sure after his senior year of high school football that he wanted to chase down quarterbacks instead of grabbing rebounds in college.
“I thought basketball was something I could do," Nelson said. "I really loved both sports. I had an interest in playing either sport. I didn’t really know which one. I had an interest in playing basketball and an interest in playing football.
“And it just came down to my senior year and just going through the football season. I just had so much fun. I already had a love for the game, but I just found a deeper passion for the game and that’s when I decided.”
In addition to having to pick a sport for college, Nelson also had to pick a college to attend. He previously was committed to Iowa State before switching to the Hawkeyes.
Nelson had the difficult task of calling Paul Rhoads, who was coaching the Cyclones at the time, to tell him that he had switched his allegiance to Iowa.
“It was just a matter of me taking the full time of the recruiting process and really weighing my options and deciding what’s best for me," Nelson said. "And then just what opportunities were there for me.”
“But they understand. And at the end of the day, it’s a process and you’re trying to find the best place for you and then they’re trying to find the best kids for them. And so at the end of the day, hopefully, you’re going to get paired with who you’re supposed to be with.”
All signs point to Nelson having made the right decision in picking football over basketball. He felt that he had more upside in football, and so far, it’s hard to argue with the results.
“It had some impact just because I wanted to find some place that I wanted to be," Nelson said of how he projected in college in each sport. "But at the end of the day, I wanted to play football, so I wanted to find some place that was best for me in football."
Nelson made his first career start against Iowa State this past Saturday, replacing the injured Parker Hesse.
It gave Iowa the distinction of having both starting defensive ends with the same last name of Nelson, as Anthony joined 6-8 Matt Nelson in the starting lineup.
The Nelsons actually have a lot in common, including both being from Iowa – Matt Nelson graduated from Cedar Rapids Xavier – and both being former standout centers in high school basketball.
“I never did go up against Matt, but he’s a very good basketball player," Anthony Nelson said. "We talk about it every once in a while, but it definitely has helped all of us on the line with footwork and using our hands well and just overall balance and athleticism."