Nebraska TE commit Carter Nelson visits Notre Dame football
Notre Dame football is working to flip a Nebraska commit that previously took an official visit to the Irish in June.
Carter Nelson, a 2024 four-star tight end, arrived on Notre Dame's campus Saturday to visit the Irish for their game against USC. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound senior out of Ainsworth (Neb.) High committed to Nebraska in June over Notre Dame, Georgia and Penn State.
Inside ND Sports reported that director of recruiting Chad Bowden attended Nelson's game against Elgin/Pope John last month. In that win, Nelson had 306 total yards and scored four five touchdowns including three rushing and one pick 6. Nelson plays quarterback, running back and tight end for Ainsworth in eight-man football.
After hosting Nelson on an official visit and losing out to Nebraska, the Irish remained in contact with the tight end and continued to push for his services. Nelson's primary recruiter, offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Gerad Parker, has overseen the career seasons of tight ends Mitchell Evans and Holden Staes and would like to pair Nelson with 2024 four-star tight end commit Jack Larsen.
Nelson has created bonds with Notre Dame's coaching and recruiting staffs as well as the Irish commits. A source told Inside ND Sports that he wanted to keep Saturday's Notre Dame visit private until he surprised the Irish commits on campus.
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According to Rivals, Nelson is the No. 6 tight end and No. 122 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class. He holds a 5.9 rating which makes him an All American candidate per the Rivals recruiting rankings formula.
"Considered one of the next-tier elite prospects in the country, generally among the nation’s top 300-325 prospects overall, a national All American candidate and a player deemed to have first to third round NFL potential."
Nelson reported 33 total offers in the recruiting process but only took official visits to Notre Dame, Georgia, Nebraska and Penn State. He landed an offer from Notre Dame last November and visited for the Boston College game last season.
Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith described Nelson's impact on Nebraska's class and how his talent translates to college football in June.
"He’s got the exact blend of size and speed needed to cause mismatch nightmares for Big Ten defenses," Smith said. "His speed will allow him to create separation against slower linebackers over the middle of the field. His size will be a real problem for smaller defensive backs too."
Rivals national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove dove into Nelson's film in July and compared him to Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.
"From taking snaps at quarterback to being raw athletes with big frames and unlimited upside, there are a number of similarities between the current Nebraska commit and the future NFL Hall of Famer," Cosgrove said.
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Notre Dame’s search for a second tight end in the 2024 class has always focused on Nelson. The Irish also made the top five for Georgia 2024 four-star TE commit Jaden Reddell, 2024 QB commit CJ Carr's seven-on-seven teammate, but didn't get Reddell on campus before his commitment to the Bulldogs in May.
The Irish 2024 class currently consists of 23 recruits: 16 four-star players and seven three-star players. Notre Dame is ranked No. 5 in the Rivals 2024 team rankings with 2,522 total points.
Check out the Inside ND Sports visitors preview for more information on the rest of the commits, targets and prospects expected on campus for Saturday night's matchup between No. 21 Notre Dame (5-2) and No. 10 USC (6-0).
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