When he was coaching at Penn State, Bill O’Brien did everything he could to land Quenton Nelson.
Ultimately, the guard from New Jersey chose to play at Notre Dame, but the now-Texans coach said he was as impressed with the now-Colts’ guard’s maturity as much as his on-field prowess.
“He’s a great player,” O’Brien said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “When I went to Penn State, we had all of the stuff going on, which has been well-documented, but the NCAA said we couldn’t go to a bowl and all that BS, but we thought we had a real shot at him. He’s a great kid, great guy.
“I remember going to his high school, I remember meeting his parents. We had a particular assistant coach who was very close to him. When he decided to go to Notre Dame, I remember he wrote us a real nice note, which is rare in recruiting. If you know anything about recruiting, usually they just take the hat, put the hat on and say, ‘sayonara’. He wrote us a real nice letter. I think it says a lot about who he is and the type of guy he is. He’s a hell of a football player.”
That part has been obvious this year, as he has helped solidify the Colts offensive line and give it a personality. He was named the league’s offensive rookie of the month in October, rare for an offensive lineman, and he deserves consideration for the annual awards considering the impact he’s had for the Colts.
