In his three years with the Oregon Ducks, Charles Nelson has been all over the field — literally. Previous to his role as a receiver, Nelson played safety in 2015, and has been one of the Ducks’ primary return men since his freshman season.
While his days of playing on the defensive side of the ball are behind him, Nelson enters 2017 as the Ducks’ starting punt returner. Looking at his stats, it’s not hard to see why. He’s amassed 2,173 yards and a pair of touchdowns on kick returns, and 302 yards and two more touchdowns on punts. He can run a 4.37 second 40-yard dash, and was one of NFL.com’s most versatile college players three years running. He’s a player that coaches love to have on a roster.
“With Charles, he’s used in all aspects,” special teams coach Raymond Woodie said. “It’s our job to get the ball in his hands. If the scheme is right, we expect for him to make plays on special teams and offense too. It’s exciting to have a player like that.”
For his part, Nelson is ready to fill whatever role his team needs.
“It’s something I like to do,” Nelson said of his return duties. “But we’ll see how Coach Taggart wants it. I know he wants me to have some breaks on some special teams. Right now I’m in the one and two [special teams] rotations, so we’ll see how it goes.”
It’s a pretty selfless approach for a player who slots in as his team’s top receiving and return threat. It shows in his play as well. In the Ducks’ season opener against Southern Utah, Nelson showed that he’s not just looking to make highlights on his returns. He knew when to call for fair catches rather than risking a fumble or big hit.
Decisions like that may not jump off the stat sheet like a touchdown, but they’re a crucial part of a strong return game.
As a senior with the potential to play professionally, it wouldn’t be shocking if Nelson devoted all of his attention to his own play. After all, playing with two units that your teammates and future career depend on is a lot to handle. Yet Nelson remains a team player. Amidst his duties, he always finds time to work with the Ducks’ young receivers.
“I just want to see them do great,” Nelson said. “I still do the same things that I usually do, I’m just more focused on these guys and helping them do what they do.”
In the world of college football, there are very few certainties. Depth charts and positions can always shift. Oregon is no exception to this rule.
Just don’t be surprised to see Nelson streaking into the end zone off of a punt return.
Follow Aaron Alter on Twitter @aaronalter95