Welcome to single digits.
After profiling quarterback Sam Leavitt yesterday, our countdown to kickoff reaches just nine days today and with it comes a chance to remember the great Robert Nelson.
In today's world of college athletics, transfer players are a dime a dozen. Leavitt himself transferred to Tempe, as did the vast majority of Arizona State's starters this upcoming season. But just 10 years ago, it was more of a rarity when a player would transfer somewhere and actually have meaningful success.
That's the story of Nelson, though. Growing up in Georgia, Nelson received very little interest out of high school. The cornerback only received one FBS scholarship offer, and it was to the University of Louisiana-Monroe. He took that offer, and became a starter in his second season. There, he thrived with 55 tackles, two picks, and seven pass breakups.
Nelson played well enough to catch the eye of head coach Dennis Erickson, who was looking to beef up his secondary after Omar Bolden left for the NFL, with Eddie Elder entering his final year of eligibilty. Of course, this was back in the old days when transfers still had to sit out a year, but Erickson still welcomed Nelson.
As it turned out, Erickson never got to coach the ULM transfer. Nelson sat out the 2011 season, the Sun Devils finished 6-7, and the head coach was swiftly replaced by Todd Graham. Nelson became one of several defensive backs that figured into a deep rotation in the secondary, playing alongside names like Alden Darby, Osahon Irabor, Deveron Carr, Keelan Johnson, and Chris Young.
Darby played well enough in a limited role - three interceptions and five pass breakups - that he entered the 2013 season as one of the primary starters for the Sun Devils. He led the team in picks with six, returning one for a touchdown, and also recovered two fumbles. For his playmaking ways, Nelson was named to the First Team All-Pac 12 list.
Despite going undrafted, Nelson managed to stick around the NFL for a while. He spent five seasons in the league across stints with six different teams before starring with the Arizona Hotshots of the defunct AAF, the St. Louis Battlehawks of the then-XFL, and most recently the Arlington Renegades of the rebranded UFL.
Nelson has also remained supportive of the Sun Devils since graduating. Back in 2017, Nelson donated nearly $40,000 to the university and helped host a youth sports camp in the Verde Dickey Dome on campus for athletes of all kinds of sports. Nelson explained why it was a priority for him given his own upbringing:
"It's all about the kids. Coming where I come from, I didn't have the opportunity to interact with all these pro athletes and pick their brains and I would have loved that as a kid. You get to tell them how important it is to get an education. You tell them, 'don't let anybody tell you that you can't do it.'
Those kids are the future -- I really believe that -- so to be able to give back to them and the ASU alumni and ASU was a win-win for the whole community."
Not only was Nelson a ballhawk and a rare transfer success story in the 2010's era of college football, but his commitment to Arizona State since graduating is a testament to what makes this school and program so meaningful.