Nelson snares Iowa State offer

The summer camp season opened at Iowa State on Saturday and one 2015 prospect who made the most of it was Waukee (Iowa) defensive end Anthony Nelson.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Nelson received an ISU verbal offer following the Cyclones' padded camp session inside the Bergstrom Indoor Training Facility on Saturday. The event was pushed inside due to heavy rain in Ames but the slight change of venue didn't bother Nelson in the least bit.

Nelson previously had an offer from Eastern Michigan in the MAC as well as three FCS schools, but Iowa State represents his first major college offer.

"It feels great, it's exciting, to have that kind of opportunity so close to home," Nelson said after receiving the offer. "I talked with Coach Rhoads and he said they'd been watching me and evaluating me for a while. He said he likes the way I move and how I use my hands. He knows that I can put on weight."

Nelson said Iowa State is projecting him solely as a defensive end at this time. Assistant coach Shane Burnham has been the primary recruiting point man on Nelson as he calls on Waukee High School. But the Cyclones' new defensive end coach has also been involved.

"I've talked the most with Coach Burnham because he comes to our school, but I've also been talking to Coach Stan Eggen who coaches the defensive ends."

The football camp season is not over for Nelson, who heads to Iowa City on Sunday to camp at Iowa and also has plans to camp at Northern Illinois as well as visit Ivy League schools Harvard and Princeton. Then it's the AAU basketball season in July competing for the Martin Brothers club.

"I going to go through the rest of June, go to camps, see other places," Nelson said. "When I get back home from basketball in August, I'll talk with my family and start to narrow it down. I don't think I'll be doing anything major until then."

Nelson had 41 tackles, 7 ½ tackles for loss and 4 ½ sacks as a junior for Waukee. He also recovered four fumbles.