116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
No. 27 — DE Matt Nelson
Marc Morehouse
Aug. 3, 2015 1:00 am
No. 27 . . .
Redshirt freshman Matt Nelson (6-8, 270) has put himself in position to be Iowa's No. 3 defensive end in 2015. OK, he might've put himself in that position.
'You know, with six practices left (last spring is being referenced here) you hate to anoint anyone,' defensive line coach Reese Morgan said. 'They have to earn it and so forth, but I think Matt has got a pretty good opportunity to be that guy. Now, we've got to look for another guy, and there are some candidates, Melvin Spears and Parker Hesse and some other guys that are working toward that opportunity.'
So, Nelson is probably the No. 3. He will have to close that deal in August camp, of course, but he's done what he's needed to do to be next in line. For a redshirt freshman, that's all you can ask.
'Matt had an opportunity during bowl prep to really take a step forward, an opportunity to work with the second group, and those reps are starting to show right now,' Morgan said. 'We're kind of expecting him to play both sides, both the left and the right side, and he's a very talented young man, highly motivated, intelligent, and I think he's got an ability to help us on the field next fall for sure.'
Playing on the right and the left sides? Nelson might've put himself in position to be the next defensive end in the game after the starters.
So, what is the No. 3 DE? . . .
First, we need to define 'No. 3 DE.' In the last five seasons, Iowa has periods where a DE has suffered an injury and so when talking No. 3, it's really been three starters. The clearest definition for a No. 3 came last season with Mike Hardy. Behind Drew Ott and Nate Meier, he saw pure rotational time and collected 14 tackles, including three for loss.
Doesn't sound like a lot, does it? It's a lot for a pure rotational player. Here's a look at the No. 3 DE in the last five seasons:
2014 — Mike Hardy 14 tackles, 3 tackles for loss
2013 — Nate Meier 6 tackles, 2 sacks (starters were Dominic Alvis/Hardy and Ott)
2012 — Hardy 6 tackles (starters were Alvis/Steve Bigach and Joe Gaglione)
2011 — Bigach 2 tackles (starters were Broderick Binns and Alvis/Lebron Daniel)
2010 — Daniel 6 tackles (Binns/Christian Ballard and Adrian Clayborn)
Conclusions: The No. 3 DE hasn't been a huge producer. One factor that is difficult to measure in this simple look at the numbers is what were expectations for that particular player in that particular season?
Reese Morgan said good things about Nelson, certainly encouraging. But that doesn't mean internal expectations this season are double digit sacks and 45 downs a game. He's behind two quality seniors who likely won't come off the field very much (Ott and Meier are Iowa's two best pass rushers, so neither is likely coming out in passing situations).
Twenty tackles and a half dozen tackles for loss? That would be a tremendous start for a freshman defensive end.
Outlook . . .
At 6-8, 270 pounds, Nelson is a unique football body. This spring, he picked up at least a couple of sacks (as sacky as sacks can be in the spring) in each spring appearance. He also covered a lot of ground against the run, which is what you'd expect out of a 6-8, 270-pound frame.
Things seem to be progressing. Iowa has two senior DEs. Don't go crazy with expectations, but Nelson has taken care of his business.
'I think the defensive line has had a good spring,' head coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'Both of the ends are good players and then right behind them, you talk about guys that are coming up the ladder like Matt Nelson and Parker Hesse. We need those guys to keep pushing it.'
l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com
Iowa quarterback C.J, Beathard (left) scrambles from defensive end Matt Nelson during their scrimmage during Kid's Day at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday, August 16, 2014. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) ¬