AUSTIN, Texas — Just a few days earlier than UTEP made the journey to play No. 7 Texas, Eric Nelson acknowledged the apparent: “Ray Charles can see that we’re underdogs.”

Nelson, the daddy of Miners QB Malachi Nelson, knew the circumstances could be tough for what was basically his son’s debut on a nationwide stage after a winding path that is taken him from five-star recruit and way forward for the USC program to Boise and El Paso over a three-year span.

At Darrell Okay Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium there have been greater than 100,000 followers in attendance to look at Texas do what appeared inevitable as a 40.5-point favourite. There was even an indication within the stands that learn: “This is not the Miners league.”

As a substitute, UTEP’s protection confounded Texas. At one level Arch Manning — Nelson’s peer as a five-star recruit within the 2023 class — threw 10 straight incompletions. Boos rained down from the stands as faculty soccer’s most hyped participant regarded misplaced.

Nelson is aware of slightly bit about that. He stated his profession has been “in every single place” throughout his two seasons and alter. 

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The sport in opposition to Texas was simply Nelson’s third profession begin. He made some high-level throws. He additionally dedicated crippling errors, together with a second-quarter interception that took UTEP out of scoring vary in a 7-0 sport. It is why Nelson regarded so dejected postgame following a 27-10 loss.

A thin 6-foot-3, 193-pound Southern California native, Nelson entered a backroom at DKR with 4 or 5 media members in attendance, a tenth of the group that lobbed questions at Manning on the opposite aspect of the stadium. He wore a long-sleeve shirt with “Win the West” splashed throughout the entrance, his bushy hair protruding from his black cranium cap.

Requested for his evaluation of the sport, Nelson first complimented his crew earlier than including: “There was a number of unhealthy, totally on my half.”

“I am a perfectionist,” Nelson informed CBS Sports activities. “I put all of the strain on me. I’ve acquired to take it on the chin. If I do not flip the ball over two occasions, I put us in place to win the sport. … That is what hurts essentially the most.”

His coach, 35-year-old Scotty Walden, took a extra measured method evaluating Nelson. The third-year passer largely took what was there with quick, early completions, however there have been fearless throws up the appear and the center of the sphere combined in that erased a pace benefit Texas owned defensively.

Nelson was, for all intents and functions, a quarterback in a brand new system and taking part in for the primary prolonged stretch since highschool. Bites of brilliance and moments of “What the heck is he doing!?” throughout a sport by which he completed 24-for-36 with 209 yards and a pair of picks. 

“Persons are going to speak in regards to the two interceptions,” Walden stated. “Persons are going to dwell on that. He will dwell on that. However he performed some actually good soccer on the market as we speak.”

Quarterbacks within the 2023 class arrived as nationwide recruits at a singular time in faculty athletics. They weren’t simply extremely wanted five-star gamers. They have been potential spokespeople within the daybreak of the title, picture and likeness period.

When Nelson, the No. 1 recruit in ESPN’s rankings (he’d end the cycle No. 13 general by 247Sports), was able to announce his dedication with CBS Sports activities HQ on July 18, Subway reached out to the household hoping to strike a sponsorship settlement; NIL had develop into authorized on July 1, 2021. 

That is what led Nelson to advertising and marketing agent Justin J. Giangrande, who’s labored with execs like Alvin Kamara to Mike Conley. Nelson signed with Giangrande to take care of his NIL pursuits, turning into what Giangrande believes to be the primary highschool athlete within the nation to have advertising and marketing illustration.

Subway did not characteristic in Nelson’s unique dedication announcement to Oklahoma, however Nelson would go on to do main offers with a BBQ chain, an NFT firm and Leaf buying and selling playing cards.

“I feel he is on the Mount Rushmore of highschool NIL,” Giangrande stated.

A two-time Gatorade California Participant of the Yr, Nelson earned these accolades as an elite highschool prospect. When Lincoln Riley immediately left Oklahoma for USC, he confirmed up on the Nelson household doorstep the subsequent day asking Nelson to flip from OU and be the face of the Trojans.

Flip he did in November of his junior season. Caleb Williams got here with Riley, too, cementing the succession play in LA. It’d go from Williams and transfer to Nelson. Clear and tidy.

Then got here the torn labrum that simply would not go away. Nelson performed with the difficulty as a junior and once more as a senior. Ultimately, he underwent surgical procedure forward of enrolling early at USC. 

Restoration from that damage took time. Nelson spent his freshman yr behind Williams and Miller Moss whereas studying beneath Riley and Kliff Kingsbury. When Williams inevitability declared for the NFL draft following the 2023 season, Nelson felt prefer it was his time. Riley wasn’t able to decide to any quarterback within the post-Williams period.

Nelson did not wish to wait. He hopped within the portal like 70% of blue-chip QBs do on this period.

“In Malachi’s thoughts he was able to be the man, however he hadn’t proved something or proven something,” Eric Nelson stated. “Coach Riley wasn’t certain what he was going to do. Malachi felt like … he was prepared to steer a program.”

Prior relationships dictate a number of motion within the portal, notably for quarterbacks, who’ve been recruited by the identical small group of coaches for years and years. Nelson acquired his first supply in eighth grade and met Bush Hamdan at the moment whereas he was the OC at Washington. Six years later, Hamdan moved to Boise State to be this system’s play-caller beneath new head coach Spencer Danielson. The Broncos had a gap at QB following the 2023 marketing campaign, so Hamdan started recruiting Nelson instantly.

Six years is a number of historical past. Nelson and his household trusted Hamdan. Nelson dedicated to the Broncos. A few week later, Hamdan informed Nelson information of his personal: He’d accepted the offensive coordinator job at Kentucky.

“You perceive going from Boise to Kentucky,” Giangrande stated. “However there’s some stage of collateral harm from Malachi being there.”

The Broncos promoted Dirk Koetter to OC. The offense Hamdan bought Nelson on modified. Then Nelson misplaced the quarterback battle to program returner Maddux Madsen, who, together with Ashton Jeanty, went on to steer the Broncos to the playoffs.

Madsen had two years of eligibility remaining following the 2024 season. Nelson noticed no path to start out. Again to the portal he went.

“That is (Madsen’s) crew, so it is time to go,” Eric Nelson stated.

Quarterbacks who transfer twice in two years, even former five-star recruits, start to develop a fame. Impatient. Uncompetitive. Bust. The curiosity in him the second time within the portal proved far much less strong. Some Energy 4 groups have been intrigued, however sources across the nation at QB-needy groups largely tagged Nelson as a no-go.

UTEP and Scotty Walden did not care.

The Miners wanted a possible program-changer in Walden’s second yr. Walden made Nelson a precedence. He bought Nelson on becoming a system round his strengths as a passer and as a gunslinger out in West Texas. The Miners have been one among only some faculties who targeted on recruiting Nelson the individual, constructing a relationship and stressing a program constructed round religion. They did not view Nelson like his unearned fame: A flashy, high-profile QB from LA. As a substitute, they noticed a quiet, proficient participant who simply needed a possibility to compete. 

A five-star recruit simply two years faraway from highschool ending up in El Paso did not make sense on paper. However Nelson purchased into the imaginative and prescient. The Miners have been what he noticed in himself. 

“The explanation Malachi is at UTEP is due to Scotty,” Eric Nelson stated. “He is acquired a chip on his shoulder. He is a younger coach who looks like he is top-of-the-line within the nation, and he needs to show that. That is the place Malachi is true now. He needs to show he is top-of-the-line quarterbacks within the nation and hasn’t had a possibility to show that.”

Again when Nelson and Manning have been dueling No. 1 highschool recruits, ESPN tried to schedule a sport between Nelson’s Los Alamitos Excessive College and Manning’s Isadore Newman Excessive College for a showcase.

That by no means occurred. Saturday in Austin their paths lastly crossed.

“It is a Texas duel,” Giangrande stated. “Two completely different paths for Malachi and Arch, however identical street.”

Manning entered this season with generational, unrelenting hype. Nelson was largely a curiosity, away from the intense lights of nationwide TV in Convention USA. By the top of Saturday, Manning suffered via boos whereas Nelson, exterior of a brutal second-quarter interception, confirmed a few of the skills that made him a five-star recruit only a few quick years in the past.

“A few of the reads he made have been actually good,” Walden stated. “Heck, the large cross he needed to Judah (Ezinwa), it wasn’t even the first learn. I am beginning to see him go to his secondary and third progressions. That tells me he is getting snug,”

“I am actually enthusiastic about his trajectory.”

Their paths will dissect once more for the remainder of the yr. Manning will proceed to be beneath the microscope, his each throw and expression examined for a crew that appears immediately fallible. Nelson will largely fade into the background, destined to play many of the C-USA schedule as a field rating curiosity as a substitute of the principle attraction.

It is what Nelson needed, frankly.

He did not want a reset. He wanted an opportunity to play. He is getting it in El Paso with a coach and a workers that believes it may possibly get essentially the most out of him.

The entire of the C-USA schedule is forward of UTEP.

Two-and-half-seasons of school are forward of Nelson.

Bust? Not but. Removed from it, at the same time as the frustration lingers from a missed alternative in Austin.

“We do not see this distinctive journey as a mistake,” Eric Nelson stated. “God does not make errors. You could have three years of improvement to get to your objective. There is no interval on the finish of the sentence.”