Cole Nelson
Cole Nelson
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Cole Nelson has played for two head coaches in four seasons at Virginia Tech. The receipt on tape: 5 tackles against Duke, Week 13, 2024.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
How it ended
Four seasons at Virginia Tech, 9 sacks — his college career is complete.
Career Arc
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
James Franklin
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR06 · Starter
Starter. Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Virginia Tech | 36 | 11 | 3.0 | 2.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Virginia Tech | 27 | 8 | 7.5 | 4.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Virginia Tech | 23 | 7 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Virginia Tech | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 91 | 30 | 15.5 | 9.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2024
W 31–14
vs Marshall
2 TOT · 1 QB HUR
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Jaylen Joyner’s 2021 season.
Matches Jaylen on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Jake Shipley's senior season at North Texas (2024).
Matches Jake on