CJ Nelson holds the WR-SL · Backup spot in Ball State Cardinals’s wide receiver room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

CJ Nelson is a wide receiver from North Richland Hills, Texas, who attended Richland High School as a three-star recruit. He began his college career at the University of Houston in 2022, appearing in all 13 games on special teams and seeing action in five games at wide receiver, including two catches for seven yards against UCF. After redshirting in 2023, Nelson transferred to Eastern Illinois, where he appeared in 11 games in 2024 with four starts, recording 21 catches for 292 yards and one touchdown, including five receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown against Gardner-Webb. In his final season at EIU, he played in nine games with eight starts, posting 21 receptions for 379 yards and ranking 33rd nationally in FCS with 18.0 yards per reception. His breakout performance came against Illinois State with seven catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns, plus a 75-yard touchdown reception. Nelson now joins Ball State as a redshirt senior transfer.

Houstonthrough 2023

Eastern Illinois2024 – 2025

Ball State2026 — present