A top-notch prep quarterback in Utah who led Utah State to their only win of 2006 has reportedly committed to BYU upon completion of his LDS mission.

Riley Nelson, a 6-foot-1-inch Parade All-American who prepped at Logan High School before playing his freshman year with the Aggies, will play at BYU when he returns from a mission in Barcelona, Spain, his father Keith Nelson told The Deseret News on Tuesday.

"He [Riley] looked at this from an emotional, academic and athletic perspective and decided this was the best thing for him to do," Keith Nelson said in an interview with The Deseret News.

Nelson was a Utah all-state quarterback who led his Logan Grizzlies to the 3A high school championship in 2005 and gave Utah State their only win of 2006 in a tightly contested 13-12 victory over Fresno State. During his senior year of high school, Nelson was named the Gatorade Utah Football Player of the Year, behind a national record-setting performance that saw him throw for 53 touchdowns while running another 31 into the end zone.

Nelson, one of the few bright spots on the 2006 Aggie offense, also set a school record at Utah State for single-game completion percentage when he completed 21-of-24 passes (84 percent) against San Jose State.

BYU would not discuss Nelson's recruitment because of NCAA recruiting regulations, but Jeff Reynolds of BYU Athletic Communications said BYU coaches and officials generally try to avoid distracting missionary-athletes for two years.

"Typically, when an athlete goes on a mission, we let him do missionary work," Reynolds said. "We [coaches and officials] can send regular e-mails.

"Obviously, we're not going to interrupt an athlete's mission, but typical missionary correspondence such as e-mails of inspiration is acceptable. It's not unlike something a professor might do with a [former] student."

Reynolds also said some schools will try to re-recruit an athlete once he has completed half of his mission. NCAA rules state an athlete who has been away from a program for a full year is eligible for recruitment by other programs. Because of the two-year duration of LDS missionary service, some schools will send recruitment letters to an Elder while he is still in the mission field.

The LDS Church leaves decisions regarding communication with athlete-missionaries to the discretion of the mission president.

In most situations, according to Reynolds, most schools abide by respectful coaching etiquette for LDS athletes.

"There are some unwritten rules, from a coach's standpoint, of leaving those missionaries alone," Reynolds said. "Unless there is an outside interest, such as from a family member, we are not going to interrupt someone's mission in order to recruit them."



Copyright Brigham Young University 28 May 2008