Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 3-56@ Ohio State | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | Season-high 8 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 41-17vs Stony Brook | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Total | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 0 | 8 |
#7
CJ Nelson
Senior wide receiver for Ball State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
5′11″ · 180 lb · North Richland Hills, TX · Richland HS
Returning to Ball State for 2026
The numbers
14
receiving yards · 2026
2 catches · 7 per catch
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 rec, 6 yds, vs Stony Brook
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 wide receiver for Ball State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Houston in 2022.
- Transferred from Houston to Eastern Illinois in 2024.
CJ Nelson
Across two seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Dana Holgorsen and Mike Uremovich. One game to point at: 8 rec yds, 1 receptions against Ohio State — Week 1, 2026.
14 REC YDS · 2 REC · 0 REC TD
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
20224 games
- Signed with Houston3-star out of Richland
2024
The snaps went the other way.
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coaches2022
Ball State
2026era →
Mike Uremovich
Ball State
Coaching transition mid-career: Mike Neu → Mike Uremovich. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022Houston8-5HC: Dana Holgorsen · Pass-leaning
2026Ball State1-1HC: Mike Uremovich · Pass-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rec yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 1.0 REC/g, 7.0 YDS/g, 7.0 YPR, 0.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Uremovich
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ball State | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | Houston | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 4 | 21 | 5.2 | 0 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 41–17
vs Stony Brook
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Ball State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Wide receiver · Ball State
Returning around him
- 6% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
- Transfer portal: +6 net (24 in / 18 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Ball State · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #113 · 2026 recruiting class #113
Background
Ball State Sports Link (July 15, 2026): Coffee Talk (CJ Nelson) Transfer receiver played in nine games as a redshirt junior making eight starts at wide receiver for Eastern Illinois ... spent his first two seasons at the University of Houston … finished tied for third on the team at EIU with 21 r...
The receiver room · Ball State
- #1Donovan Hamilton244 receiving yards · 2025
- #5Jabari Smith166 receiving yards · 2025
- #10Jamarion McDougle43 receiving yards · 2025
- #14Elisha Durham26 receiving yards · 2025
- #7CJ Nelson2 games · 2026
8 more on the roster · Ball State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology