Beware, the North Dakota State football team has a Swiss Army knife! No, not a literal one, but a player who can do it all. Meet RaJa Nelson, the senior wide receiver at North Dakota State who also excels as a running back. The 5′ 9″, 186-pounder from Lakeville, Minnesota, is adept at both carrying the ball and receiving it, making him a crucial player in critical games.

Nelson made waves last season when he rushed for more than 100 yards in the first 30 minutes, scoring a 76-yard touchdown, leading NDSU to a 52-7 victory against Western Illinois in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. As this multidimensional player prepares for another season, let’s examine Nelson’s roots to understand his source of talent and inspiration better.

RaJa Nelson has played in all positions since school

The head coach, Brian Vossen, primed Nelson to play multiple positions at Lakeville North High School in the Twin Cities. The head coach, Vossen, would have had RaJa Nelson take a kickoff and let his teammates catch him. The drill usually ended with only a few on the team being able to match the speed of this receiver. Vossen, who has been a head coach at Lakeville North for 21 years, even believes that RaJa is  “the best player that ever wore Lakeville on the back of his jersey.” And that’s BIG coming from the head coach at Lakeville North school football program, one of the country’s most prominent!

RaJa is not only a good player but also a great guy

Born to Gino and Stacey Nelson, RaJa has always been respectful toward everyone, something that he learned from his parents. His high school head coach, Vossen, even testified to this when he mentioned how great of an experience it was to coach him. “He(RaJa) was so fun to coach, just high energy but also just super respectful,” Vossen said. “Just one of the world’s greatest. We loved him.” RaJa’s brother, Najee Nelson, a true freshman cornerback at NDSU, had great things to say about his older brother. “He’s got a lot of ability that has yet to be unleashed,” Najee said. “When he was getting recruited, I was at every single visit with him and once he was here I went to every single game.” RaJa and Najee also have a sister named Kai. RaJa averaged 12.5 yards per reception last season, racking up 388 receiving yards. With 31 receptions and 2 touchdowns to his name, RaJa is a key player this season.