I met Riley Nelson tonight

I went to a Priesthood meeting tonight with my father-in-law up in Sandy, and the guest speaker was none other than Riley Nelson. His talk was mainly geared toward the youth in attendance, but he touched on many topics, from his mission to Spain, to football to life in general. One thing he touched on that caught my attention was the adversity he has faced in football at BYU after transferring and backing up Max.



He didn't go into tons of detail, but he talked about his turning point. It wasn't when he got injured in 2010 and had to sit the season. It was when he worked his tail off rehabbing after he had been told that he would have a chance to battle for the starting spot again. He spoke of the disappointment in Spring practice where he went some time without getting any snaps with the first team, and was in fact splitting reps with the second team. He talked to the coaches and they told him that basically they were putting their eggs in one basket, and that they had already decided who the starter would be before spring ball even started.



He went on to say that at that point he had two options before him. He could either quit football, and move to a different sport (he considered trying for the BYU baseball team), or he could stick with it, re-evaluate himself, and work even harder to overcome adversity. This was his turning point. He had to re-discover who he was, and determine if he had what it takes to be a good quarterback. He watched film of himself over and over, finding and working on his weaknesses, and trying to strengthen who he is as an individual, and as a football player.



We all know he worked hard, and it paid huge dividends in 2011 for BYU. I found his story inspiring in that in the face of adversity, he never gave up.



I met him and spoke with him for a few minutes following the meeting, and he is a down to earth, friendly person, who will talk about the highlights right there with you. How awesome it was to talk to one who experienced those moments first hand. We talked a moment about the 2011 spring game and the thing he commented on right after we laughed about the game winning drive is how many of those guys (including the TE who caught the winning two point conversion) are out serving missions. That's what he thinks of first. I think that's really cool on his part.



The man I met tonight did in no way strike me as cocky or deviant in any way. He did strike me as a genuine person who had to overcome his share of trials and hardship to get where he is today. I am glad we have him as quarterback. This man doesn't know how to quit.



Edit: I tried to get a picture with Riley on my phone afterward in the cultural hall, but my phone battery had gone dead. Such is life.

Riley has never struck me as a cocky, self absorbed individual as some paint him as on this board.



He has no delusions of grandeur. Doesn't try to be something he isn't. In one word, he's genuine.



I wish him the best of luck and look forward to watching him finally get the chance he deserves and prove all the naysayers wrong.



P.S. Riley can make all the throws.

Excellent post Ungoy. I read every word - I really enjoyed it. All I know about Riley Nelson I know from watching him play and reading posts here. I have no inside connections. So, I especially enjoyed insights and views.



Thanks for taking the time and being so detailed. I am excited for this Fall. 8)

Gunk wrote:
Riley has never struck me as a cocky, self absorbed individual as some paint him as on this board.



He has no delusions of grandeur. Doesn't try to be something he isn't. In one word, he's genuine.



I wish him the best of luck and look forward to watching him finally get the chance he deserves and prove all the naysayers wrong.



P.S. Riley can make all the throws.

Funny how we both used that same word, "genuine".



There is a reason Riley inspires confidence in his team. There's a reason that the team has a different swagger when he's on the field. It's because he's genuine, and you can tell, just by chatting with him for a few minutes what kind of person he is.



After meeting him, and seeing it for myself, I truly believe that in no way was he responsible for the division on the team last year. If players supported him over other QB's, it's because of his work ethic, and his never give up mentality. It was not because he went out of his way to cause a rift. He had no plan to usurp Heaps, or anyone else. He just wanted to work hard and prove himself.



Riley was in a position where other players likely would've quit in the past. He was a redshirt junior who was told he would have a chance to compete, and was turned down in favor of a sophomore he split reps with a year before. Instead of packing up and heading out, he stuck with it, worked on his weaknesses (I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw a marked improvement in him from 2010 to 2011), and came back ready to play at a moment's notice. Because of that, we snatched victory from the jaws of certain defeat against Utah State, and won many other games that we would've lost. He infused the team with a dose of his never quit attitude. The team didn't wake up because they were glad Heaps got pulled. They woke up because Riley woke them up. He went out there and got their heads on straight. It was the mark of leadership, something that had been lacking.



Riley is a genuine person, and a natural leader. Both are traits that benefit BYU.

This is the reason so many people were so down on Heaps when he transfered. He had a perfect example in what to do to win over the team in Riley Nelson and chose instead to not follow it and transfer. Riley Nelson doesn't have a quarter of the natural talent that Heaps has and still beat him out of the starting position because of work ethic. One thing that bothers me about sports now days is most kids who have such natural athetic ability live on that instead of working hard. If only kids who have the talent would work as hard at being good as some of the kids who aren't as naturally gifted we would end up with more Michael Jordan's. Can you imagine how good Heaps could have been if he had worked as hard as Nelson did? Maybe all his bravado about NC's would have actually happened.

This makes me think of Quezada. If you're concerned about the amount of playing time you're getting, get better! Riley focused on getting better and was able to take full advantage of his opportunity on the field.



I feel like Quezada is taking the approach of, "I'm going to go someplace where my skill level right now is good enough."



Obviously there's more to his story and many factors in play, but that's at least part of it.

You're getting me really excited to watch the guys this fall!

Gunk wrote:
Riley has never struck me as a cocky, self absorbed individual as some paint him as on this board.



He has no delusions of grandeur. Doesn't try to be something he isn't. In one word, he's genuine.



I wish him the best of luck and look forward to watching him finally get the chance he deserves and prove all the naysayers wrong.



P.S. Riley can make all the throws.

Unless he's really changed, which I believe is possible, this is not how I would describe him. But that's ok. I really hope he has changed. My impressions of him came from experiences before his mission and transfer to BYU.

stuckinbig10country wrote:

Riley has never struck me as a cocky, self absorbed individual as some paint him as on this board.



He has no delusions of grandeur. Doesn't try to be something he isn't. In one word, he's genuine.



I wish him the best of luck and look forward to watching him finally get the chance he deserves and prove all the naysayers wrong.



P.S. Riley can make all the throws.

Unless he's really changed, which I believe is possible, this is not how I would describe him. But that's ok. I really hope he has changed. My impressions of him came from experiences before his mission and transfer to BYU.

Yeah - there is a tiny possibility that some grudge you formed about an 18 year old kid - either firsthand or based on 2nd hand information, could be less representative now that he is 4 or 5 years older, served a mission, and overcome a ton of adversity.



I do not know Riley. Just giving him the benefit of the doubt.



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stuckinbig10country wrote:

Riley has never struck me as a cocky, self absorbed individual as some paint him as on this board.



He has no delusions of grandeur. Doesn't try to be something he isn't. In one word, he's genuine.



I wish him the best of luck and look forward to watching him finally get the chance he deserves and prove all the naysayers wrong.



P.S. Riley can make all the throws.

Unless he's really changed, which I believe is possible, this is not how I would describe him. But that's ok. I really hope he has changed. My impressions of him came from experiences before his mission and transfer to BYU.

Pre-mission Gunk was a piece of work. I hope few judge me on how I was before those two years.

Gunk wrote:

Gunk wrote:
Riley has never struck me as a cocky, self absorbed individual as some paint him as on this board.



He has no delusions of grandeur. Doesn't try to be something he isn't. In one word, he's genuine.



I wish him the best of luck and look forward to watching him finally get the chance he deserves and prove all the naysayers wrong.



P.S. Riley can make all the throws.

Unless he's really changed, which I believe is possible, this is not how I would describe him. But that's ok. I really hope he has changed. My impressions of him came from experiences before his mission and transfer to BYU.

Pre-mission Gunk was a piece of work. I hope few judge me on how I was before those two years.

I was polite and kind before mine, it was only after returning I became the douchebag you all know and love ;)