The562’s football coverage for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Long Beach Poly alums Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
The562’s coverage of Millikan Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
All eyes were on the 2025 Moore League Player of the Year on Wednesday afternoon at Millikan High, where Jude Nelson officially signed with Utah State, where he will begin his college football career next month.
Nelson is coming off a highly productive senior season with the Rams, where the tight end/wide receiver hauled in 61 passes for 824 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was a three-year starter on offense for Millikan, and also filled in capably at defensive end the past two seasons.
“From the top to the bottom, the head coach, the passing game coordinator, offensive coordinator, tight end coach, the love is there, and you want to go where you’re loved,” said Nelson of his decision to sign with Utah State. “I’m excited to go there, the system fits me, and I’m just ready to go play ball. Go Aggies.”
Interestingly enough, Nelson got a great look at the Aggies’ program during his official visit process. After originally making a visit to Logan to visit the campus, he also crossed paths with the Aggies during his visits to both UNLV and Fresno State. As it turned out, it was third time’s a charm seeing Utah State play that many times, and he said that the fit really clicked with him and his dad.
“In this day and age, you just want to get on the field as quick as you can,” Nelson explained, noting their willingness to use him in multiple spots on the field, like Millikan’s offense did. “I feel like I’m gonna be able to flourish there and get on the field and just do my thing: ball out.”
The recruiting process changed rapidly for Nelson in recent weeks. He was a Colorado State commit prior to his senior season, but after the Rams parted ways with head coach Jay Norvell on Oct. 19, things were suddenly up in the air. While Colorado State remained an option, along with UCLA, UNLV, and Fresno State, he ultimately felt like Utah State was his best fit.
College football’s calendar of early signing day, followed by the opening of the transfer portal on Jan. 2, and the sheer number of coaching changes happening on a daily basis, makes recruiting a complicated and confusing process for all parties involved.
After forming a relationship with one coaching staff and making his commitment, suddenly Nelson was forced to find a new path in a short amount of time. With a plan to graduate early and enroll in college at the semester break, that college decision will have an immediate and long-term impact on his life.
“I think it’s stressful more than anything, not knowing if your coach is going to be there,” Nelson admitted. “That was often the conversations we had with these other schools. Is my coach going to stay there? Is he not? And then I’ll give you a decision when that happens. I appreciate all the coaches that were recruiting me. Obviously, it was a heartbreaker having to call some of these coaches that I love and I had a good relationship with and tell them I wasn’t coming. But I felt really good with this Utah State staff that they’re going to be there for a really long time. And I felt very solid and set in stone about this decision.”
Nelson’s signing makes it six years in a row that Millikan has sent a player to the Division 1 level, and the Rams are far from finished in the Class of 2026. Head coach Romeo Pellum expects up to a dozen more athletes to sign in February, after the transfer portal is closed and the next phase of recruiting opens up.
Pellum called Nelson a great representative of the Millikan program, and offered his sincere congratulations from the podium.
“It’s such a blessing to be able to go to school for free,” Pellum said. “It happens so often here people take for granted how hard it really is to go to school on a scholarship. You talk about the top 1-2 percent in the country who play Division 1 football, so you should be proud. Your family should be proud. It’s an accomplishment that you got–no one gave you that, you went and earned that. You deserve it. You deserve all that’s coming to you.”
