All-American honors aren't often rolled out for Utahns — football-rich states like Texas, Florida and California sometimes outshine the sterling efforts of the players in this particular state.
But there are exceptions.
Logan quarterback D.J. Nelson had a season that won't soon be forgotten by the Grizzlies faithful, and now he's been honored by Maxpreps.com as a second-team All American. He is the only Utahn to make the Maxpreps list this year.
On the team, he's listed as an "athlete," but Nelson made his true impact at quarterback, churning out more than 4,500 total yards of offense and 73 total touchdowns. Nelson's performance this year put him on many of the top ten lists in the Utah record books and led Logan to a Class 4A championship. No play was more critical than a last-minute 40-yard touchdown pass that seized the lead from East in the title game.
Nelson was named the 4A football MVP by the Tribune. He will be playing his college football at Utah State.