Better Know a Badger: Scott Nelson
The Wisconsin Badgers will welcome their 2017 signing class to campus in mid-June, so BadgerBlitz.com will be checking in with the team's incoming freshmen as they make the jump from being high school prospects to a Wisconsin student-athlete.
Scott Nelson, a three-star athlete from Detroit, Mich., spoke with BadgerBlitz.com about how he's feeling now that his career with the Badgers is right around the corner.
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You had a bit of a longer recruiting process and committed less than a month before signing day – was it a relief to wrap things up and sign your letter of intent?
Scott Nelson: It was kind of a relief to solidify what I experienced throughout the whole recruiting process. It’s a great feeling knowing that you’ve picked the right place and it just made me so excited that day. That excitement has just grown over the last few months.
When did you know that Wisconsin could be the right fit for you?
SN: Pretty much as soon as they offered me they were one of my top three or four schools every time I evaluated my situation. That kind of helped going back – there was one consistent school in that top group, and they were it. Once I realized how great the people are there and how great of a town and program they had there, I just knew it was the right place for me. The people, the coaches, the players – as soon as I went there and had contact with them it just felt like a great fit. And obviously they have such a great program there. They value the same things that I value. When I saw that and I met the people, there was no other place that I could have gone.
Did you have a timeline in your head for when you’d like to commit and wrap things up? Or was it just a ‘wait and see’ situation?
SN: I tried to set a date on when I would commit, but I couldn’t do it. I tried to commit before my senior season but that just didn’t work. I didn’t want to rush it – that was a big thing. I didn’t want to commit and then de-commit and go through all of that. I didn’t think that was fair to the programs and I just didn’t want to deal with that.
So after building that relationship with Wisconsin for a long time, was there one thing in particular that really sealed the deal?
SN: My official visit is when I decided that Wisconsin would be a place for me. My official visit kind of solidified it, and then up through when I committed it was a process of just making sure that’s the right feeling and talking to the coaches and seeing where I would fit in there. That time in between it was more of a time to make sure (I was right).
Did you have much of an idea about what the recruiting process would be like before things got going? Were there hard parts that you didn’t expect?
SN: I did not know much about the process going in to it, which I struggled with heavily throughout the process. The whole going to camps (thing), getting to know people, and then once you start getting offers, that was great. I enjoyed that so much. And taking all of those visits was as good as it was hyped up to be in my opinion. But when it started to get down to having to narrow down the schools, that was tough for me because these schools are such great programs and you build relationships with the coaches – it’s hard to tell them that you don’t really want to go there. But I did talk to coaches and a lot of them made it clear that if they weren’t the place for me, that’s ok. They understood it’s a process. I think the coaches – even at the schools I didn’t go to – they were great about it and very professional.
Were there a few conversations that were harder to have than others – especially after you committed?
SN: Iowa and Penn State were the two that were very difficult to make. They were very professional about it as well. Those were my other top schools, and I think I could have been happy, but I just think Wisconsin was the best place for me. But those calls were the toughest for me just because of the relationships involved.
What would you say you’re most excited for once you get on campus?
SN: I’m excited just to get there and get started. I mean, it’s cliché, but I just want to get there and workout with the guys and the other freshmen. Obviously I’ve had a lot of communication between the freshmen and my couple of roommates coming in, but I’m really excited to get there and get to know the program and the whole staff and to be a part of that – to be a college football player at one of the best programs in the nation. That’s really exciting for me and I can’t wait for that.
Is the plan still to start at safety for you?
SN: I’ll probably start out at safety, but the wide receivers coach does like me so if safety doesn’t work out or if we’re going to do something else at receiver that’s perfectly fine with me. I’ll probably start out at safety or work in both or seeing what’s a better fit – we’ll see when I get there.
Are you more comfortable at on one side of the ball or the other?
SN: I don’t know if I feel more comfortable at one or the other – I’ve played safety and receiver in three of the last four years on varsity. I’m comfortable at both – wherever they need me or wherever I can succeed the most, that’s where I’ll go. If that’s both sides, it’s both sides. That’s not something that scares me – it intrigues me. That’s another thing I’m looking forward to is just having an impact on the team.
Now that your recruitment is all wrapped up, is there anything that you’ve learned since the start that you wish you knew at the beginning? What advice would you give to teammates who are being recruited to play at the next level?
SN: I would try and get in contact with the coaches and the current players as much as you can. Do your own research and build those relationships. Every moment of it won’t be great or glorious, there will be tough times. If I had known that going in I would have been more prepared for the three phone calls in one night while trying to do your homework – I probably would have handled that a little better. There’s two guys at my school that are 2018 prospects and we’re trying to get Elijah Collins – Wisconsin’s trying to get him, so I’m talking to him every day and asking if he’s got any questions. I’m trying to talk to them as much as I can and give them as much insight as I can and answer questions – I don’t want them to be lost or put in a tough situation, I want them to be as prepared as they can be.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.