Anthony Nelson Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Anthony Nelson has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Anthony Nelson entered the game against Miami (OH) as a co-starter. Not a ton was expected from the redshirt freshman in his first game but, with a depleted linebacker core, Nelson stepped up. Nelson recorded six total tackles, 2.5 sacks and forced two fumbles.

The Hawkeyes defense, as expected, was far from midseason shape. They did force three fumbles, though, recovering all three. Nelson was in the middle of two of them as it seemed like every time he hit Miami (OH) quarterback Billy Bahl, Bahl fumbled.

.@HawkeyeFootball DE Anthony Nelson is the #B1G Freshman of the Week, with 2.5 sacks & 2 FF against Miami (Ohio) pic.twitter.com/qvgsCur3tb

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 5, 2016

There were a lot of great performances by other freshmen around the Big Ten in week one, but Nelson is very deserving of this honor. After his week one performance, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take home this honor at least once more this season.

J.T. Barrett of Ohio State has been named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after he threw six touchdowns and rushed for one more against Bowling Green. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week went to Mike McCray of Michigan. The linebacker had 3.5 tackles for loss and forced a fumble. It’s likely that Nelson was also in the running to be named the Defensive Player of the Week, as well.

The Special Teams Player of the Week went to kicker Rafael Gaglianone of Wisconsin. Gaglianone made all three field goal attempts, including the go-ahead kick late in the fourth quarter to defeat #5 LSU.

This award will be even more special for Gaglianone. He switched his number to 27 this year to honor his deceased friend, and former Nebraska punter, Sam Foltz. It was his first game wearing #27, and he started off the season in a big way.

Anthony Nelson winning the award is a perfect example of how deep the Hawkeyes defense is and how stifling it can become. Once the Hawkeyes defense gets back to 100 percent, they should be in contention to be recognized every week by the Big Ten.