Philip Nelson

Philip Nelson (born September 11, 1993) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent.

Nelson started the final seven games as a true freshman at Minnesota going 2–5 and the Gophers were invited to a bowl game for the first time since 2009.

Upon visiting Minnesota in December 2010, Nelson received his first scholarship offer from Minnesota Head Coach Jerry Kill.

There he was a standout member of the football team, setting several state records on his way to winning the 2011 Minnesota Mr. Football Award.

He is the son of Pat and Norma Nelson.

Nelson was scouted by Football Bowl Subdivision scouts during his junior year in high school.

It was originally perceived that Nelson would be a very sought-after recruit during his senior year by numerous Big Ten schools and was highly regarded by recruiting expert Tom Lemming.

Nelson conducted initial visits to a handful of schools to include Iowa State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota.

Nelson committed to Minnesota on February 19, 2011.

On October 20, 2012, Nelson's redshirt was pulled after struggling starter MarQueis Gray was injured the week before.

Nelson's first game of his collegiate career came against the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Gophers lost the game but Nelson passed for two touchdowns and was also the Gophers' leading rusher in the game.

They lost in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas to Texas Tech 34–31 on December 28, 2012.

In Nelson's sophomore season, he endured peaks and valleys as the starting quarterback.

He played in 12 games and led the Gophers to a 4–0 record at the beginning of the season.

A hamstring injury against Iowa hampered Nelson's ability to be effective against the Hawkeyes.

The Gophers lost 23–7.

The next week against Michigan, back up quarterback Mitch Leidner took most of the reps but the Gophers were dismantled 42–13.

Now on a losing streak and with ailing coach Jerry Kill watching from a private box, the Gophers hoped to get back on track against Northwestern.

Leidner was replaced by a healthy Nelson in the first half of that game and the Gophers hung on for a 20–17 victory.

Nelson would start the next four games and lead the Gophers to three signature victories over No. 24 ranked Nebraska, Indiana, and Penn State.

The last two games of the season saw Nelson and Leidner split snaps as the team lost to Michigan State and then Syracuse in the Texas Bowl on December 28, 2013.

On January 16, 2014, Nelson announced he was transferring from Minnesota; he would still have two years to play for a new team.

On January 29, 2014, Nelson transferred to Rutgers.

On May 13, 2014, he was dismissed from Rutgers following assault charges leading to a guilty plea for a fifth degree misdemeanor.

In August 2015, Nelson walked on at East Carolina after soliciting interest from other teams.

After winning the starting quarterback job, Nelson and the Pirates started the season 2–0 with wins against in-state rivals, Western Carolina and NC State.

Nelson threw a combined six touchdown passes and ran for one score in those two matchups.

However, following a loss with South Carolina the next week, the ECU squad would only win one more game the rest of the season.

After the season came to a close, Nelson was invited to participate in the 2017 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

Nelson was named the National team's MVP as he led his squad on a 14-play scoring drive in the opening series of the game.

In January 2018, Nelson signed with the Canadian Football League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers to compete for the fourth-string backup quarterback position.

He was cut from the team in May before training camp.

In the third round of the inaugural AAF QB Draft, Nelson was picked by the San Diego Fleet with the eighth selection.

He played for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019, and for the Dallas Renegades of the XFL and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Nelson attended Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minnesota.

Nelson began the 2019 AAF season as the Fleet's second-string quarterback behind Mike Bercovici.

After Bercovici struggled for much of the season opener against the San Antonio Commanders, Nelson relieved him late in the game, completing 5 of 10 passes for 68 yards and an interception in the 15–6 loss.

Nelson was eventually named the starter for the following week's game against the Atlanta Legends.

In his first start against the Atlanta Legends, he completed 14 of 30 passes for 142 and an interception as the Fleet won 24–12.