Nelson still shaken by Notre Dames move
Almost all of the Notre Dame commitments have spoken out on their status, but Wichita Falls (Texas) Rider three-star receiver David Nelson has been deep in the Texas state playoffs and avoided talking out about the uproar created when Tyrone Willingham was fired as the head coach of the Fighting Irish.
That was until now.
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Nelson, who is 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, has been the center of questions as to whether or not he’s committed, and people have claimed to interview him or even go as far as misquote his father about his status. Nelson set the record straight Sunday evening in this Rivals.com exclusive.
“I am still committed to the University of Notre Dame,” Nelson said. “They bring too much to the table to de-commit just because of how they treated a coach. However if they bring on someone I don't agree with, I'll have to de-commit and commit elsewhere.
“I cannot afford to sit around and wait on them because I may be putting my future in jeopardy, and I won’t have enough time to evaluate and visit the other schools. I am still very passionate about Notre Dame, and I hope that thing will work out so I can be wearing Blue and Gold.”
But you can tell from talking to Nelson that this past week has not been fun for him. Combined with the firing of Willingham and his team losing a heart-breaker in the state semifinals, it’s not gone the way he envisioned it. That’s especially true when you look at how close Nelson became with the former Irish coach.
“I was really close to him, and i thought the way they handled the situation was very unprofessional,” he said. “He is a great man, and I was really looking forward to playing for him.
“I didn't really think about this whole situation too much because I was still in the playoffs, but now it’s hit me. Now, I’m going to have to take the rest of my visits.”
Those visits will be to teams he was looking at before he committed originally.
“I’m going to visit K-State or A&M this weekend,” Nelson said. “Iowa will get a visit next weekend, and maybe I’ll visit Nebraska before the U.S. Army All-America game. I’m going to try to set up visits with those guys, but if some how I can’t get them worked out, I’ll have to look elsewhere.”
Nelson said he does not have a pecking order in place between the teams attempting to persuade him from playing in South Bend.
“Nebraska has a great class thus far, and I really like what they have going for them,” he said. “Harrison Beck is a player, and coach Callahan is a great coach. Their facilities will be second to none when they are finished and they like to pass the ball.”
“I have allways liked K-State,” he said. “I just like what they stand for. Coach Snyder is one-of-a-kind. He is a very classy man, and I have nothing but respect for him. They struggled this year but they were pretty young and coach Snyder has a great history of producing quality young men, as well as players.”
The Aggies offer Nelson something the other schools don’t – a chance to play in-state.
“I was really impressed with what they did this year,” he said. “They have a great young quarterback that’s only a freshman, and they're class is also looking really strong. Coach Fran is doing great things in College Station and will get that team to national prominence in no time.
“I'm expecting great things from them in the near future and I'd love to be a part of it. Plus it’s pretty close to home and its in state.”
Iowa is the one that wasn’t on his list before he committed.
“Iowa got a huge commitment from Jake Christianson,” Nelson said. “They like to use the big guys at the receiver position. Coach Ferentz always gets his teams ready to play. I haven’t had a chance to see the facilities or talk to any of the academics people, so I don’t know a lot about all that so that’s why I’m taking a visit there.”