Georgia State Panthers · S RoomS

#16 Keenan Nelson

Class  RS SR/TRFrom  Ohio State (transfer)Ht / Wt  6'0" · 200 lbHometown  Philadelphia, PA · St. Joseph's Prep

Depth-chart placement

Current role

SS2

Placement

Backup

Room

Safety

Experience

5-SR

Last change

Updated 2026-07-29

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S room context

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Keenan Nelson holds the SS · Backup spot in Georgia State Panthers’s safety room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

SS · StarterEric LeeStarter

FS · StarterTre MittmanStarter

NB · StarterDerrick Maxey IIIStarter

SS · BackupKeenan NelsonBackup

FS · BackupDonovan FariaBackup

NB · BackupDemonte GastonBackup

Transfer history

2026Ohio State→Georgia State Panthers

Background & career

Keenan Nelson is a safety from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who attended St. Joseph's Prep before playing college football at South Carolina and Ohio State. At South Carolina in 2022 and 2023, he appeared in 15 games and started four, including the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Notre Dame. In 2023 against Vanderbilt, he recorded nine tackles, one tackle-for-loss, and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. Nelson transferred to Ohio State, where he saw action in 11 games during the 2024-25 season, appearing in College Football Playoff contests against Tennessee, Oregon, and Texas. He played in six games on special teams in 2025. Nelson now joins Georgia State as a redshirt senior.

South Carolina2022 – 2023

Ohio State2024 – 2025

Georgia State2026 — present

Previous schoolOhio StateRecruiting4-star · No. 221 nationalOriginPhiladelphia, PA · St. Joseph's Prep