Making the jump from a junior college to a school like CU can be a big change for most students. Imagine making the leap from playing football at a junior college to playing Division I football for the Buffs.
Junior quarterback Nick Nelson transferred from Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., to join the Buffs and compete for CU’s starting quarterback position.
“It’s awesome. I mean there’s a lot of publicity with this school just because it’s a great school. I can’t really tell a difference yet in competition because I haven’t played in a game,” Nelson said.
Nelson also said that practices are about the same compared to the practices he had while at Saddleback, so he hasn’t seen too big of a difference in Division I football.
While at Saddleback, Nelson was named the Offensive Player of the Year and led the team to an 11-1 record, losing only in a semifinal regional playoff game. Nelson said his junior college experience was a nice transition from high school football.
“It just helped me grow a lot. It’s a real great, notorious college. They let me ease into the college scenario a lot easier than coming straight from high school,” Nelson said.
Coach Dan Hawkins said Nelson has an intense competitive edge.
“He is such a competitor. He gets frustrated when he doesn’t do everything exactly right, which is a good trait to have,” Hawkins said.
As senior Bernard Jackson, redshirt freshman Cody Hawkins and Nelson fight for the Buffs’ starting quarterback position, Nelson said the competition among the three has made each player better.
Nelson also said he has developed friendships with the other quarterbacks while at CU.
“They’re great guys. I got great friendships with both of them,” Nelson said. “They’ve both helped me out a lot.”
Contact Campus Press staff writer Kyle McDaniel at kyle.mcdaniel@thecampuspress.com
