Nelson looking to make impact at NAU
This is No. 16 in a month-long series of profiles of Arizona high school seniors that signed with four-year colleges. Here's the full list (currently totaling 286) of players from within the state moving on to the next level.
SPOTLIGHT: 2/27/23
Like many young athletes, Blaise Nelson grew up playing a variety of sports. In middle school, he first took up football. He became a three-year varsity player at Valley Vista. Taking advantage of his speed, he was a natural as a slot receiver.
In the summer after his junior year, the 5-11, 165-pounder competed in a college Mega Camp at Northern Arizona where he ran a 4.43 in the 40. A few days later, the Lumberjacks extended Nelson an offer. Eventually, he had a half dozen other offers from schools in five different states. Nelson waited until just a few days before the early signing period in December to make his announcement that he was committing to NAU.
"Overall, the NAU coaches kept the most up to date with me and showed a lot of interest," Nelson said in an e-mail interview. "That became very appealing. It made me feel like they truly want me to come and make an impact to their team."
With the school just 150 miles north of Surprise, Nelson has taken many visits to NAU. One of the things he admired about the school is the new student-athlete High Performance Center.
"Seeing what type of environment and atmosphere they have played a big role in my decision," Nelson said. "Alongside their brand new facility, they have a lot to offer. I'm excited to compete against the teams that are within the Big Sky because it is not an easy conference. Great competition is only going to make me better."
Football coaches usually encourage their players to be on the track and field team whether it's linemen for the throwing events, or skill position players to get faster and stay in shape. Nelson ran track to become a better football player and found out he was really good at it. How good? Nelson won the 100-meters and 200-meters in last year's state track meet. His time in the 100 was 10.82. He is running track this spring, but does not have plans of continuing that in Flagstaff, although it is a possibility.
It was a memorable season for Valley Vista on the football field as the Monsoon went 7-4 and made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Nelson caught 51 passes for 661 yards and seven touchdowns. He also averaged 34.6 yards over eight kickoff returns. One of those was a 98-yard runback to open the game against rival Willow Canyon. In a tight, defensive 14-6 game that early TD proved crucial.
Nelson said a culture change played a big role in the team's success. This was the second season for Derek Wahlstrom as the Monsoon's head coach.
"We had to change the way things were day in and day out," Nelson said. "Trusting in one another and playing to our best abilities was important at all times."
In describing his game, Nelson said he is coachable and fast. The second part of that has multiple definitions.
"Not only do I play with speed on the field, but also when it comes to learning plays and applying them in games," Nelson said. "If there is something that I need to fix in my technique, then I try to fix that immediately."
In his three years with the Monsoon, Nelson totaled 1,564 yards receiving and scored 14 touchdowns. Aside from the stats, it's the people that have impacted him at Valley Vista.
"Playing with my teammates under those Friday night lights that I've been with the last three years is something that I will miss," Nelson said. "There is no other feeling like it."
Nelson is off to a good start as we are very early in the track season. He's already topped that time from last year's state meet.
Northern Arizona added a total of 26 signees (plus several in-state walk-ons) to its roster for the 2023 campaign with this year's signing class. The Lumberjacks were 3-8 last year and will open their season in Tucson on Sept. 2 against Arizona. When those teams last met two years ago, NAU stunned the Wildcats, 21-19.
While track helped out with Nelson's speed in helping him get recruited, there are other important factors. He gives those younger players some advice.
"For anyone looking to play ball at the next level, grades are the most important thing," Nelson said. "They allowed me to get the interest that I received from college coaches. And for people that are looking to make an impact on their team, it starts by being a leader both by example and vocally."
