Class Impact: Zion Nelson to Miami

Stefan Adams
5 min read
2019 Sumpter (SC) offensive tackle Zion Nelson flipped to Miami yesterday coming off his secret UM official visit this past weekend, flipping his pledge from Appalachian State.



The 6-5 240 pounder is a consensus 2-star prospect right now. According to the 247Composite, Nelson is the #2,622 player overall, the #211 ranked OT in the country, and the 49th best player in South Carolina. His commitment moves Miami’s 2019 class ranking to #32 on 247Sports and #37 on Rivals.


The Player

Nelson was recruited by UM with little fanfare and, although he had been hearing from Miami for weeks, nobody in recruiting circles ever brought up his name. The Canes brought him in on a secret official visit last week, and Nelson landed an offer. After taking a few days to mull things over back home with his family, Nelson decided to flip his commitment to UM from App State.

Taking a look at his film, there’s no way to avoid saying this: Nelson is an absolute project at this stage of his development. At a listed 6’5” 240, he has nowhere near the size or strength needed to play offensive line at the college level right now and it is going to take him some time to get there. Nelson played left tackle for his high school team, so he does have experience at a big position of need for the Canes.

Despite looking like a tight end, Nelson actually plays with an overly aggressive demeanor, a Stacy Searels specialty, and doesn’t back down when challenged. Nelson’s frame works to his benefit in some scenarios, as he shows he is an asset in the screen game by using his athleticism to get downfield and pummel linebackers and DB’s. His length is also something that stands out as well, and Nelson knows how to extend his arms to keep defenders away from his body. It won’t happen right away, and Nelson certainly has the physical traits and frame to turn into a quality left tackle, but it is going to take a lot of hard work and coaching to get him there. He is the definition of “boom or bust” prospect.


The Class

Nelson is the 14th commit overall in the 2019 class, the second offensive lineman (also OC Jakai Clark), and the first tackle. Nelson may have beaten Christ the King (NY) 3-star Adam ElGammal to the punch as the undersized tackle project for this class. ElGammal is slated to be on campus for a Miami official visit this weekend, but it’s certainly fair to question if he is even a take at this point.

Miami’s top target at any position this cycle has been IMG Academy 5-star Evan Neal, who made his official visit to Miami last month and seems down to a final five of Miami, Oklahoma, UGA, FSU, and of course Bama. Each has already received officials, but the Canes still seem to be running a distant second behind the Crimson Tide for now. Miami is trying to see if bringing in his brother as a PWO will help sway Neal, but I was told not to expect that to have any real impact on Neal’s decision. Neal will sign early next week and there are no signs that the choice will be Miami.

Next up, the Canes have been pushing for a flip from Mississippi State commit Darius Washington for a few months now and Washington made an OV to Miami back in October for the FSU game. Washington is a quiet kid that doesn't do many interviews and is hard to get a read on. While some believe the Canes have a better shot than is being reported, Miami will certainly have to get Washington back on campus to feel confident in making the flip. As of now, Washington is not planning to sign early, but the fact that he doesn’t regularly talk to the media makes me wonder if he might just quietly sign next week without any fanfare. If this recruitment goes into the New Year, it is certainly a positive sign for Miami’s chances, and with the state of the tackle board right now, Washington almost seems like a must-get.


The Team

Miami has struggled with their play up front for years, and they’ll be losing a three year starter at tackle this season. Tyree St. Louis was one of the only true tackles on the roster, and although he was solid overall, St. Louis’ play seemed to regress over time, and at best showed no real improvement by the end of his UM career. He has no clear successor at left tackle; although Delone Scaife started at RT with mixed results, he’s really more of a guard type and is better suited to stay on the right side if anything. Rising senior George Brown is coming off injury and barely looked serviceable before that. Second year tackles Kai-Leon Herbert and Zalon’tae Hillery have shown absolutely nothing yet. John Campbell was a true freshman this season and may have more upside than any of these names, but needs to continue to add to his frame and become adept at the mental side of the game.

So, while there’s playing time available and Miami really needed to get a tackle in this class that could at the very least contribute on the two deep in 2019, Nelson is not going to be that guy. Due to being so underweight, Miami likely won’t know what it has in Nelson until year 3 and Nelson is a certainty to redshirt his freshman season at UM. By his redshirt sophomore season, Nelson will either be starting or transferring from the program; I feel like there’s no in-between.

 

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2019 Sumpter (SC) offensive tackle Zion Nelson flipped to Miami yesterday coming off his secret UM official visit this past weekend, flipping his pledge from Appalachian State.



The 6-5 240 pounder is a consensus 2-star prospect right now. According to the 247Composite, Nelson is the #2,622 player overall, the #211 ranked OT in the country, and the 49th best player in South Carolina. His commitment moves Miami’s 2019 class ranking to #32 on 247Sports and #37 on Rivals.


The Player


Nelson was recruited by UM with little fanfare and, although he had been hearing from Miami for weeks, nobody in recruiting circles ever brought up his name. The Canes brought him in on a secret official visit last week, and Nelson landed an offer. After taking a few days to mull things over back home with his family, Nelson decided to flip his commitment to UM from App State.

Taking a look at his film, there’s no way to avoid saying this: Nelson is an absolute project at this stage of his development. At a listed 6’5” 240, He has nowhere near the size or strength needed to play offensive line at the college level right now and it is going to take him some time to get there. Nelson played left tackle for his high school team, so he does have experience at a big position of need for the Canes.

Despite looking like a tight end, Nelson actually plays with an overly aggressive demeanor, a Stacy Searels specialty, and doesn’t back down when challenged. Nelson’s frame works to his benefit in some scenarios, as he shows he is an asset in the screen game by using his athleticism to get downfield and pummel linebackers and DB’s. His length is also something that stands out as well, and Nelson knows how to extend his arms to keep defenders away from his body. It won’t happen right away, but Nelson certainly has the physical traits and frame to turn into a quality left tackle, but it is going to take a lot of hard work and coaching to get him there. He is the definition of “boom or bust” prospect.


The Class

Nelson is the 14th commit overall in the 2019 class, the second offensive lineman (also OC Jakai Clark), and the first tackle. Nelson may have beaten Christ the King (NY) 3-star Adam ElGammal to the punch as the undersized tackle project for this class. ElGammal is slated to be on campus for a Miami official visit this weekend, but it’s certainly fair to question if he is even a take at this point.

Miami’s top target at any position this cycle has been IMG Academy 5-star Evan Neal, who made his official visit to Miami last month and seems down to a final five of Miami, Oklahoma, UGA, FSU, and of course Bama. Each has already received officials, but the Canes still seem to be running a distant second behind the Crimson Tide for now. Miami is trying to see if bringing in his brother as a PWO will help sway Neal, but I was told not to expect that to have any real impact on Neal’s decision. Neal will sign early next week and there are no signs that the choice will be Miami.

Next up, the Canes have been pushing for a flip from Mississippi State commit Darius Washington for a few months now and Washington made an OV to Miami back in October for the FSU game. Washington is a quiet kid that doesn't do many interviews and is hard to get a read on. While some believe the Canes have a better shot than is being reported, Miami will certainly have to get Washington back on campus to feel confident in making the flip. As of now, Washington is not planning to sign early, but the fact that he doesn’t regularly talk to the media makes me wonder if he might just quietly sign next week without any fanfare. If this recruitment goes into the New Year, it is certainly a positive sign for Miami’s chances, and with the state of the tackle board right now, Washington almost seems like a must-get.


The Team

Miami has struggled with their play up front for years, and they’ll be losing a three year starter at tackle this season. Tyree St. Louis was one of the only true tackles on the roster, and although he was solid overall, St. Louis’s play seemed to regress over time, and at best showed no real improvement by the end of his UM career. He has no clear successor at left tackle; although Delone Scaife started at RT with mixed results, he’s really more of a guard type and is better suited to stay on the right side if anything. Rising senior George Brown is coming off injury and barely looked serviceable before that. Second year tackles Kai-Leon Herbert and Zalon’tae Hillery have shown absolutely nothing yet. John Campbell was a true freshman this season and may have more upside than any of these names, but needs to continue to add to his frame and become adept at the mental side of the game.

So, while there’s playing time available and Miami really needed to get a tackle in this class that could at the very least contribute on the two deep in 2019, Nelson is not going to be that guy. Due to being so underweight, Miami likely won’t know what it has in Nelson until year 3 and Nelson is a certainty to redshirt his freshman season at UM. By his redshirt sophomore season, Nelson will either be starting or transferring from the program; I feel like there’s no in-between.



KUDOS , to the staff here no doubt these updates of information from my experience on OS over many years is unparalleled on OS they just monitor and go through the motions.

Here with this post as an example take ownership and apply there expertise , I love reading these there loaded with CIS stuff we all yearn for and in my case need experts to keep me updated , this here is good stuff. Thank you :)

Anyway this kid , excellent initial contact to engage and what I really like this kid keep engaged till pancake is completed or whistle blows. His frame is perfect to handle a good 30-40 more pounds of added muscle. I like this young man very much even if no stars , he's got a good POP to his play NICE.
 
I will hold out any option of this kid until his RS soph seas lol. Shows aggression/athleticism but idk if the latter will transfer after 45-50 lbs..seen plenty of jumbo TE types turn into stud tackles. Clearly a project player on the oline here
 
These are the kids you have to take. A high school tweener tightend/tackle often become great tackles. Each year the staff should find one project

What I like is his that he is very physical and aggressiveness.
 
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2019 Sumpter (SC) offensive tackle Zion Nelson flipped to Miami yesterday coming off his secret UM official visit this past weekend, flipping his pledge from Appalachian State.



The 6-5 240 pounder is a consensus 2-star prospect right now. According to the 247Composite, Nelson is the #2,622 player overall, the #211 ranked OT in the country, and the 49th best player in South Carolina. His commitment moves Miami’s 2019 class ranking to #32 on 247Sports and #37 on Rivals.


The Player


Nelson was recruited by UM with little fanfare and, although he had been hearing from Miami for weeks, nobody in recruiting circles ever brought up his name. The Canes brought him in on a secret official visit last week, and Nelson landed an offer. After taking a few days to mull things over back home with his family, Nelson decided to flip his commitment to UM from App State.

Taking a look at his film, there’s no way to avoid saying this: Nelson is an absolute project at this stage of his development. At a listed 6’5” 240, he has nowhere near the size or strength needed to play offensive line at the college level right now and it is going to take him some time to get there. Nelson played left tackle for his high school team, so he does have experience at a big position of need for the Canes.

Despite looking like a tight end, Nelson actually plays with an overly aggressive demeanor, a Stacy Searels specialty, and doesn’t back down when challenged. Nelson’s frame works to his benefit in some scenarios, as he shows he is an asset in the screen game by using his athleticism to get downfield and pummel linebackers and DB’s. His length is also something that stands out as well, and Nelson knows how to extend his arms to keep defenders away from his body. It won’t happen right away, but Nelson certainly has the physical traits and frame to turn into a quality left tackle, but it is going to take a lot of hard work and coaching to get him there. He is the definition of “boom or bust” prospect.


The Class

Nelson is the 14th commit overall in the 2019 class, the second offensive lineman (also OC Jakai Clark), and the first tackle. Nelson may have beaten Christ the King (NY) 3-star Adam ElGammal to the punch as the undersized tackle project for this class. ElGammal is slated to be on campus for a Miami official visit this weekend, but it’s certainly fair to question if he is even a take at this point.

Miami’s top target at any position this cycle has been IMG Academy 5-star Evan Neal, who made his official visit to Miami last month and seems down to a final five of Miami, Oklahoma, UGA, FSU, and of course Bama. Each has already received officials, but the Canes still seem to be running a distant second behind the Crimson Tide for now. Miami is trying to see if bringing in his brother as a PWO will help sway Neal, but I was told not to expect that to have any real impact on Neal’s decision. Neal will sign early next week and there are no signs that the choice will be Miami.

Next up, the Canes have been pushing for a flip from Mississippi State commit Darius Washington for a few months now and Washington made an OV to Miami back in October for the FSU game. Washington is a quiet kid that doesn't do many interviews and is hard to get a read on. While some believe the Canes have a better shot than is being reported, Miami will certainly have to get Washington back on campus to feel confident in making the flip. As of now, Washington is not planning to sign early, but the fact that he doesn’t regularly talk to the media makes me wonder if he might just quietly sign next week without any fanfare. If this recruitment goes into the New Year, it is certainly a positive sign for Miami’s chances, and with the state of the tackle board right now, Washington almost seems like a must-get.


The Team

Miami has struggled with their play up front for years, and they’ll be losing a three year starter at tackle this season. Tyree St. Louis was one of the only true tackles on the roster, and although he was solid overall, St. Louis’s play seemed to regress over time, and at best showed no real improvement by the end of his UM career. He has no clear successor at left tackle; although Delone Scaife started at RT with mixed results, he’s really more of a guard type and is better suited to stay on the right side if anything. Rising senior George Brown is coming off injury and barely looked serviceable before that. Second year tackles Kai-Leon Herbert and Zalon’tae Hillery have shown absolutely nothing yet. John Campbell was a true freshman this season and may have more upside than any of these names, but needs to continue to add to his frame and become adept at the mental side of the game.

So, while there’s playing time available and Miami really needed to get a tackle in this class that could at the very least contribute on the two deep in 2019, Nelson is not going to be that guy. Due to being so underweight, Miami likely won’t know what it has in Nelson until year 3 and Nelson is a certainty to redshirt his freshman season at UM. By his redshirt sophomore season, Nelson will either be starting or transferring from the program; I feel like there’s no in-between.



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Unless he's only 15-16 years old with excellent genetics for growth, this is a real Longshot.
 
Kid could probably be good down the line. But this is a guy you stash and have him live in the weight room. He's not doing anything here until his RS Sophmore year, at best.

This is no offense to the kid, but this is a microcosm of the shape our program is in right now.
 
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I would be at least somewhat excited about this kid's potential development and growth if: (1) we had even one blue chip OT recruit in the mix with a high floor; and (2) I had any faith at all that our current OL coach could develop him. This kid could potentially put in the work, gain 50 lbs in the next 2 off seasons, and develop into an athletic, starting-caliber LT, but right now he is living evidence of how poor a job this staff has done managing this cycle. Here's hoping the next OL coach can mold this young man into something.
 
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This guy is a mid-tier G5 player. Period.

He's athletic and there is a lot to work with...but you don't take this kid if you're a P5 program.

I have no faith that Searles will coach him up - because Searles is a bum. I have no faith that this staff will be here when Zion Nelson becomes a player with the physical attributes to contribute to a P5 program - because the staff is filled with bums and are currently getting run out of town.

So, Zion Nelson will be inherited by a future staff - probably a staff filled with bums, because that is how Miami rolls these days - and they won't be able to develop him either.

Just remember my posts stating that the bottom 1/3 of our roster is filled with unusable players. I don't know what Zion Nelson's future is to become, but for the foreseeable future, you can add another player to that bottom 1/3 of the roster as you develop him and give him time in the weightroom.

Yung Zion is probably better off going to App State if he wants to be developed. But, Welcome to the U, son.
 
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