Why cornerback Brian Nelson II still feels like he has something to prove

By Noah Fleischman

It doesn’t matter that he was On3’s No. 1-ranked cornerback left in the transfer portal when he signed with NC State this offseason. He doesn’t care that he tied for the third-most interceptions (4) in the American Athletic Conference last fall, either. 

In all honesty, redshirt sophomore cornerback Brian Nelson II has put all that behind him. He, instead, has reverted to the very mindset he began last season with: being an underrated recruit that is out to silence everyone who doubted him. 

Why? It’s in his blood.

“Just always having that chip on my shoulder, just knowing schools overlooked me,” Nelson said Wednesday. “I’m ready to work wherever I go.”

Nelson, who was only ranked by Rivals as a three-star recruit out of Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek, spent the past two seasons at North Texas — the only FBS school in the football-crazed state that even gave him an opportunity. With that in mind, Nelson was out to prove why he belonged. 

And it didn’t take long either.

Nelson, despite redshirting his true freshman year, still logged 3 passes defended in four games during the 2023 campaign. Once he won a starting job going into his second season, Nelson was determined to have a breakout year, which soon followed as he recorded 4 interceptions with 7 more passes defended. 

Now, at NC State, Nelson has a blank slate. He acts like his standout 2024 season didn’t even happen. It won’t help him lock down ACC wide receivers, who don’t care where he came from. Instead, he’s ready to introduce himself to the league one snap at a time.

“I have a lot to prove. No matter what I did last season, that’s last season,” Nelson said. “This is a new year. Just knowing I have to get better and prove myself, I take that to the chin. People are depending on me, and some people doubted me, so knowing I have to prove myself really matters to me.”

Proving himself is a mantra that Nelson seems to carry this fall. And, well, he has his first opportunity to do just that in fall camp. Nelson is in the midst of a wide-open position battle since the Wolfpack secondary had every single spot available going into the summer. 

Thus far, it appears that Nelson has emerged as a likely starter against East Carolina on Aug. 28. But even though he and Devon Marshall are the favorites to win the outside corner spots, the competition has made both players better. 

“It’s definitely competitive having him there,” Marshall said of Nelson earlier this month. “He’s pushing me, I’m pushing him. We’re all just trying to push each other and get better.”

Although Nelson is a competitive player, he is working through the battle with grace. No matter who wins the job — Temple transfer Jamel Johnson is also in the competition — all of the cornerbacks know they’ll be counted upon throughout the season. 

“It’s been a good competition,” Nelson said. “Just having great guys around me like Devon Marshall and Jamel Johnson, it’s a great competition. We know we’re all going to need each other on the field, no matter who’s starting or not. We’re going to need each other as brothers.”

Nelson’s play at outside cornerback has drawn high marks from NC State’s wide receivers and the coaching staff in fall camp. He has an innate ability to find the ball and come down with it at a high clip. 

After all, that’s his job. And it’s one he takes immense pride in.

“I live by that, just being a ball hawk and getting the ball back to the offense,” Nelson said. “That’s all I really want to do: make plays for our team and build trust throughout the whole team, knowing that they can depend on me.”

Nelson will be one of NC State’s more-relied-upon transfer portal additions after his arrival this summer. He has game-altering abilities that the Wolfpack hopes to see utilized frequently this fall. If all goes well, he could find a way to play himself into the NFL Draft — or at least position himself for a professional career in the years to come with two years of eligibility left after this season. 

Just like Nelson plays with a chip on his shoulder, NC State’s defense as a whole has embraced that same mindset. It’s practically a brand-new unit under defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot, and much of the Pack’s new aggressive scheme won’t be clear until it hits the field this regular season.

But Nelson likes that feeling. The Wolfpack isn’t garnering national attention like it did last preseason. Instead, everything has to be earned, just like Nelson has done throughout his entire career. And he finds joy in proving those outside the program wrong. 

“I love being the underdog, regardless of what the media says or not,” Nelson said. “Being the underdog is a great chip to have on your shoulder because you get to prove people wrong. You get to bloom out of nowhere and show people what we’re really about.”