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Malachi Nelson’s opportunity has finally arrived, as the former five-star quarterback prospect has been named UTEP’s starter ahead of the Miners’ Week 1 game at Utah State, sources confirmed to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Nelson beat out returners Cade McConnell and Skyler Locklear for the job.
The redshirt sophomore will be tasked with shepherding the offense for a program that is seeking a Year 2 jump under coach Scotty Walden following a 3-9 campaign in 2024. What exactly Nelson will bring remains a mystery following a winding journey that led the former blue-chip player to El Paso, Texas.
But Nelson will have the chance — for the first time in his college career — to show the immense potential that made him the No. 13 overall player in the Class of 2023, per 247Sports. After the Utah State trip and a Week 2 home game against Tennessee-Martin comes a Week 3 game against Texas and fellow Class of 2023 blue-chipper Arch Manning.
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For a quarterback class that has seen its struggles, that game, and specifically Nelson’s role as UTEP’s quarterback, will be a spectacle that few could have imagined when he was an Under Armour All-American drawing projections as as future first-round NFL Draft pick.
Nelson began his career at USC in 2023 and was…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/malachi-nelson-named-utep-starting-qb-inside-the-former-five-star-prospects-path-to-opportunity/
Author : David Cobb
Publish date : 2025-08-21 16:58:00
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