Football Recruiting

Class of 2021 defensive lineman Hayden Nelson commits to SU

Max Freund | Staff Photographer

3-star recruit and defensive lineman Hayden Nelson announced his commitment to Syracuse on Monday.

By Anthony Dabbundo

Class of 2021 defensive lineman Hayden Nelson became the fifth player from his class to commit to Syracuse on Monday. 

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end from Broomfield Central (WI) High School is a 3-star recruit, according to 247Sports. 

Nelson picked Syracuse over eight other schools in his top nine, including Air Force, Buffalo, Coastal Carolina, Western Michigan, Indiana, Iowa State, Wyoming and North Dakota State.

Due to stay-at-home orders and the closure of SU’s campus due to the coronavirus, Nelson couldn’t visit Syracuse in-person. Instead, he was able to set up a “virtual visit” to tour the campus from home.

On the video call, an academic advisor and student tour guide gave him a full tour of campus, including academic buildings and football facilities. The two-hour long tour helped solidify Nelson’s interest in attending Syracuse. Currently a high school junior, Nelson said he wants to study business, communications or sports management.



“They showed me whatever I wanted to see. It was everything I would see if I was walking around campus,” Nelson said.

The day after his virtual visit, Nelson texted defensive line coach Vinson Reynolds and defensive coordinator Tony White that he was ready to commit to the Orange. After a FaceTime with SU head coach Dino Babers, Nelson made it official with a Twitter post on Monday. 

“I’ve talked to a good amount of coaches and he’s always stood out,” Nelson said of Babers. “He preaches being a family and that’s important to me.”

Nelson said he likes the 3-3-5 defense that White is bringing from San Diego State. He believes he’s able to play both as a defensive end and defensive tackle in the formation.

“I talked to him more times than I can remember,” Nelson said of White. ”He’s a really good guy, I talked to him or Coach Reynolds almost every day. Coach White wants us to play faster and more aggressively.”

Nelson also received a call from former Syracuse offensive lineman Sam Heckel during the recruiting process, who was a starting guard in 2017 and 2018 before injuries derailed his 2019 season. Both Heckel and Nelson are from the Waukesha area, a suburb of Milwaukee. 

Heckel told Nelson about the transition from Wisconsin to Syracuse and how he wanted Nelson to “keep the Wisconsin pipeline going.”

Nelson’s verbal commitment makes him the third defensive linemen to commit to the Orange from his class.





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