Virginia football head coach Bronco Mendenhall awarded several scholarships in preseason camp. Redshirt freshman defensive back Brenton Nelson was one of those recipients.
“We ran defensive meetings, and Coach Mendenhall brought me up to the front of the room,” Nelson said, recalling the day he was put on scholarship. “I just had a good practice, so I thought he was just going to talk about that. He brought me on his right shoulder, he said: ‘Brenton Nelson, walk-on athlete.’ Then he brought me to his left side, he said: ‘Brenton Nelson, scholarship athlete.’ The whole room went wild.”
“I cried,” Nelson said with a laugh. “It was a great moment.”
Against Connecticut, we saw first-hand why Nelson is now on scholarship. He recorded 8 tackles (5 solo), 2 pass breakups, and an interception on Saturday, helping the Hoos dismantle the Huskies, 38-18.
Nelson’s interception was especially important. Virginia scored a touchdown on its first offensive drive Saturday afternoon, but UConn responded with a Jordan Swann 60-yard kickoff return. A 15-yard illegal block penalty was tacked on to the end of that run, giving the Huskies possession at the Virginia 25.
On 2nd-and-10 from the UVA 14, redshirt senior quarterback Bryant Shirreffs dropped back to pass. He threw an out while his receiver stayed straight, and Nelson was there to make the pick and an 18-yard return. No score for the Huskies, allowing Virginia to maintain its 7-0 advantage.
“That’s when you really have to buckle down because you don’t want the offense to score,” said Nelson, who also had made the tackle on the kick return.
Nelson foiled two more UConn pass plays as well, including a well-thrown Shirreffs pass into the Virginia end zone. Shirreffs gave a UConn receiver a great opportunity, but Nelson, exhibiting the plus ball skills he had shown throughout preseason camp, broke up the pass.
“What makes Brenton so unique is honestly his ball skills,” senior linebacker Micah Kiser said following the win. “He has a knack for getting to the ball.”
“He’s very impressive,” junior cornerback Juan Thornhill said of Nelson in the preseason. “We had 7-on-7 … I’m telling you, his cover skills are incredible. He was getting picks left and right. Almost every day at 7-on-7 he had an interception.”
Discussing his cover ability, Nelson said: “Speed helps a lot. I’m not as big of a body as some people, so, in coverage, speed and speed and eyes. Can’t have bad eyes as a DB.”
With senior cornerback Tim Harris sidelined for the rest of 2017 after suffering a wrist injury late in Virginia’s season opener versus William & Mary, Coach Mendenhall decided to move Thornhill from strong safety to cornerback. The move paved the way for Nelson to assume a larger role on a thin-but-talented Cavalier defense.
Nelson, a smallish safety at 5’11”, 180 pounds, is fluid, fast — he was a track standout in high school — and versatile, having seen action at nickel back, free safety, and strong safety. Mendenhall will need him to continue to make plays on this defense moving forward.
“It’s everything,” Nelson said of the opportunity he now has.
