HERO Sports is counting down the days until the kickoff of the 2018 college football season on Saturday, Aug. 25, by featuring the best player in the FBS at each jersey number, from 99-1. Each day, from May 18 through Aug. 24, we'll publish one article showcasing the best player whose jersey number matches the number of days remaining.
[divider]RANKINGS: Top 100 Teams for 2018
TRIVIA: Daily FBS Trivia Question
MORE: Best FCS Player for Each Jersey Number[divider]
No. 98 Anthony Nelson
Iowa – DE
Anthony Nelson was the 1,306th-ranked recruit in the 2015 class and had only two Power Five offers: Iowa and Iowa State. After initially committing to Iowa State, he flipped to the Hawkeyes' offer. A redshirt season was followed by a strong freshman campaign in 2016, ranking second on the team in both tackles for loss (eight) and tackles for loss (6.5).
“I think Anthony Nelson is going to be fun to watch, I think he’s going to be fun to watch,” defensive line coach and longtime Iowa assistant Reese Morgan said last August. “He’s bigger, he’s stronger, he’s faster. He’s going to be playing a lot of snaps.”
He's gained more than 50 pounds in three years and added 9.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks as a sophomore, though the 6-foot-7, 271-pounder is far from satisfied with the first two years of his career.
"You're never enough at anything, so there's always room to improve," Nelson said after Iowa's spring game.
