Blue White Illustrated

LIVING THE DREAM Andrew Nelson fulfills lifelong ambitions by earning spots on Big 33, PSU rosters BY TIM OWEN owen.tim.bwi@gmail.com G rowing up in Hershey, Pa., Andrew Nelson spent a couple days each summer watching some of the most talented high school football players from Pennsylvania and Ohio flock to his hometown for the annual Big 33 game. He distinctly remembers attending the pregame banquets, listening to speeches from sports legends and applauding the high school athletes who were on hand to be recognized. The all-star teams would practice on nearby high school fields, and Big 33 week would culminate in the game in Hersheypark Stadium on Saturday night. He watched most of those, too, and the talent on display never ceased to amaze the up-and-coming football player. Someday, he thought to himself, maybe he would be on that turf, playing alongside the future Division I recruits and NFL prospects. And soon he will be. Nelson was named to the Pennsylvania squad following his senior season, an honor that the 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive tackle described as a dream come true. ���I always thought about how cool it would be to get into the Big 33,��� Nelson said. ���It always has been a dream of mine. Just the fact that I���ve been able to achieve these dreams that I���ve set for myself has been great. And I always [remember that] they���re really hard goals to obtain, so it���s just great to know that I���ve accomplished them.��� Earning a spot on the Pennsylvania Big 33 squad was one of Nelson���s two underlying goals in high school. The other? Earning a scholarship from Penn State. Nelson grew up a fan of the Nittany THE NELSON FILE S TAT I S T I C S Finished with 18 tackles as a senior, including five tackles for loss and two sacks... Helped Hershey High School average 157.5 rushing yards and 25.5 points per game HONORS Named to the Big 33 All-Star team... Played in the Chesapeake Bowl... Was a third-team All-State choice by PAFootballnews.com... Rated a four-star recruit and the No. 17 offensive tackle in the country by ESPN.com... Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com Lions. His father and uncle are both Penn State graduates, and he has cousins who are Penn Staters, too. Given his familiarity with the university, he always thought about playing college football there given the opportunity. After taking his first couple of unofficial visits to campus and getting a tour of the football facilities, Nelson grew even more certain about the Nittany Lions. ���We have a huge Penn State tradition,��� he said of his family. ���I know a lot about the education. It���s a great education, but what stood out to me [on the visit] was how much they preached education. It seemed like we were spending more time with the academic advisors than we were with the coaches and in the weight room on the junior day. They really like to say ���success with honor.��� That���s what they���re trying to do. They understand that football is important, but first you���re going to college, and the most important thing is the classroom.��� The classroom is important to Nelson, too. He plans to major in kinesiology, and after he graduates he may look to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy. ���Not sure yet,��� he said, ���but that���s what I���m leaning toward.��� Nelson received interest from Yale and other Ivy League schools and boasted a cumulative grade point average of 3.6 heading into his senior year. But the three-star offensive tackle prospect, as rated by Rivals.com, also knew that he wanted to play big-time college football, and he wanted to play it at Penn State. But the Nittany Lions didn���t extend a scholarship offer right away. While he picked up offers from Maryland, Missouri, Northwestern, Pittsburgh and Temple, Penn State waited until April 2012 to tender its offer. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who recruits the Harrisburg area, had known about Nelson since he attended summer camp at Penn State before his junior season. After Nelson���s impressive performance in camp, Johnson kept an eye on him during his junior season and stayed in contact throughout the winter. When Bill O���Brien was hired the following January, Nelson was one of the first recruits whom Johnson pitched to the new coach. ���Coach Johnson really helped show this new staff what kind of kid I was, and he really made them believe in me,��� Nelson said. ���I am really thankful for them believing in me enough to offer me a scholarship, so I really respect him for that. I thank him for giving me the opportunity to show this new staff what I can do.���

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