Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 3 | L 7-41vs Washington | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Wk 12 | W 24-21@ Indiana | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 0-42vs Penn State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#75
Ben Nelson
Junior defensive lineman on Michigan State's 2025 roster.
6′7″ · 311 lb · Holland, MI
Returning to Michigan State for 2026
The story
3 defensive lineman on Michigan State's roster.
- Signed as a 2-star recruit to Michigan State in 2022.
Recruiting
2★
IOL recruit
No. 2552 nationally · Signed with Michigan State
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonBen Nelson
He arrived as a 2-star recruit and has 1 seasons of production at Michigan State behind him. The receipt: 1 tackles against Penn State — Week 13, 2023.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- recruiting profile
- game log
His career
2022
- Signed with Michigan State2-star out of Holland Christian
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★
CFB
College
Michigan State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2023 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Michigan State4-8HC: Mel Tucker · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-71g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Fitzgerald
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2023
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Michigan State | 3 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 3 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Michigan State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Michigan State
Returning around him
- 2 Michigan State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -18 net (28 in / 46 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Michigan State · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #61 · 2026 recruiting class #45
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology