2011: Played in six games at cornerback ... finished the season with 15 tackles, 11 of which were solo stops, two pass breakups and a tackle-for-loss ... made first career start in the season opener at Eastern Illinois and finished with a career-high six tackles ... had five tackles the following week aginst Morehead State ... suffered a season-ending knee injury against Missouri State.

2010: Redshirted.

Hersey HS: Two-year letterwinner ...missed his senior season due to a torn ACL ... played quarterback during junior season and accounted for 16 total touchdowns ... passed for 1,243 yards and rushed for 653 yards ... also kicked field goal and extra points and returned punts ... named a first-team all-conference selection and an all-area honorable mention selection ... named team's most valuable player and broke the school single-season record for completions ... returned a punt for a touchdown as a sophomore ... started in the playoffs as a sophomore for the Hersey basketball team.

Data: Born Nov. 5, 1991, in Arlington Heights, Ill. ... son of Tom and Cheryl Nelson ... one of four children ... his brother, Tom, was a four-year letterwinner at Illinois State (2005-08) and currently plays for the Cincinnati Bengals ... intended major is business.