Penn State football names former OL Andrew Nelson its Director of Performance Science
Disappointed by the outcome of Penn State’s Rose Bowl performance against Southern Cal to conclude the 2016 season, offensive lineman Andrew Nelson balanced the letdown against something more positive. A key member of the Nittany Lions’ program, his career spanning the heart of NCAA sanctions through its rise to a Big Ten championship season and back-to-back 11-win seasons, perspective was key.
“I think there’s honestly a silver lining to everything, honestly,” Nelson said. “We’ve been through so much crap the past couple of years, not only with sanctions but then after that, saying we’ll never be good again.
“This season I think shows who we really are. And I think that’s the important thing is that we’ve just shown everyone who we really are this year.”
Announced on Thursday afternoon, Nelson is set to deliver the same message to the Nittany Lions as the program’s new Director of Performance Science. A role vacated recently by Dr. Josh Nelson, the former Penn State offensive line letterwinner and Ridge Riley Memorial Award-winner will be tasked with the strategic leadership of the program’s “wellness, injury prevention, recovery, physical preparation, and performance.”
“I would like to thank Coach Franklin for this incredible opportunity,” said Nelson via press release. “It is a tremendous honor for me to come back to a place I love and work for an incredible program I have a lot of pride in. I look forward to working with such a great staff and tremendous group of student-athletes.”
Andrew Nelson post-Penn State career
Nelson’s return to Penn State comes in his area of study while competing as a Nittany Lion during his playing career. A former kinesiology major who’d earned his master’s of science in Sports Science and Coach Education from East Tennessee State, Nelson stayed with the Buccaneers thereafter.
First taking a position as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant for football from 2019 until 2021, he was then elevated to the title of Lead Performance Coach for Olympic Sports, a role he held for the past three years.
Back with the Nittany Lion football program now, Nelson continues a career that included 33 games played and 28 starts as a key performer on the offensive line. Injured during the 2016 season, a second injury setback through his Penn State playing career, Nelson’s passion for physical performance took hold early and often.
Asked about Nelson’s performance that offseason, Franklin offered a window into type of player, and person, the offensive lineman had proven himself to be.
“This is the first off-season he’s really been able to work. Truly been able to do the morning work outs, truly been able to do all the weight work outs and his strength numbers and explosive numbers are unbelievable. He jumped extremely well, ran extremely well. And we weren’t able to do any of those things the last two years with him and that’s been great,” said Franklin. “He’s kind of fanatical right now about his nutrition, about everything.”
