East Carolina quarterback Philip Nelson, who is now the all-but-guaranteed starter following Kurt Benkert’s decision to leave the program for Virginia, appeared at No. 12 on Athlon Sports’ recent top 30 offseason quarterback transfers heading into the 2016 season.
Coming over from Minnesota (and Rutgers prior to that), Nelson is expected to take over a new-look Pirates offense under first-year coach Scottie Montgomery. Here’s what Athlon Sports had to say of the 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior:
“Nelson has traveled an interesting road to East Carolina and has yet to play in a FBS game since the 2013 season. The Minnesota native spent two years with the Golden Gophers from 2012-13 and threw for 2,179 yards and 17 scores in that span. Additionally, Nelson added 548 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
“After two seasons with Minnesota, Nelson transferred to Rutgers but was later dismissed from the team after an off-field incident in 2014. Nelson edged Kurt Benkert (transferred to Virginia after spring ball) for the starting the job and has a chance to have a solid senior year with a strong supporting cast at East Carolina.”
Nelson is a former 3-star prospect from the 2012 recruiting class, where he ranked as the No. 33 pro-style passer.
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