BYU Football: Stanford WR Keanu Nelson joining the Y. in 2014
By Mitch Harper
April 13, 2013; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Keanu Nelson (20) is tackled by Stanford Cardinal cornerback Alex Carter (25) during the Cardinal & White spring game at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Whenever BYU’s Football Personnel Director, Geoff Martzen, chimes in on Twitter it’s usually good. Tonight wasn’t a Childish Gambino tweet from Geoff, but rather a tweet that ties in well with his job, announcing a new transfer to the BYU Football program.
Stanford wide receiver Keanu Nelson, (5’11, 160 lbs) has signed with BYU and will be eligible immediately in 2014. Nelson is a fifth-year senior like UTEP transfer Jordan Leslie who will be joining the Cougar Football program this fall as well.
The news of Nelson caught everyone off guard. If we were going to see another addition to the 2014 class it was believed that a quarterback would be the position added. The addition of Nelson brings another athletic wide receiver to the mix for BYU.
Nelson signed with Stanford in 2010 as an athlete out of Tucson, Arizona. Was a top-five prospect in the state of Arizona by Scout.com, and had offers from a handful of Pac-12 schools, Nebraska, and even BYU.
Had one catch for four yards in a rivalry game against Cal last season, and only played in five games over the past four years for the Cardinal. Very little experience on the field, but he’s been around one of the most successful football programs in the FBS over the past four seasons. Each season Nelson was at Stanford, the Cardinal went to a BCS bowl.
Nelson played wide receiver, running back, defensive back, and was also a return specialist in high school. The return game is where his impact can be felt on the BYU team in 2014. He’s obviously going to get an opportunity to play somewhere as a fifth-year senior. Otherwise, why would BYU have bothered to sign this guy, and why would Nelson have left sunny Palo Alto for BYU?
At Sabino High in Tucson, Nelson had 994 career punt return yards and 305 kickoff return yards. Not too bad. He also had a total of seven returns for touchdowns, six on punts, and one on a kick return.
BYU has had success with WR/return specialists in the past. Remember James Dye? He transferred from Utah State.
Earlier today, Nelson posted a picture of himself on his personal Instagram account with BYU Radio’s Jarom Jordan and Spencer Linton on the set of BYU Sports Nation.