Caleb Nelson is a 2018 graduate of Arlington High School. He spent all four years of high school at Arlington. Caleb is now at Bethel University as a student athlete playing football. When asked how he ended up at Bethel, he replied “Growing up and throughout high school I knew I wanted to play football at the next level. After my senior season I didn’t have a whole lot of offers, but Bethel gave me a scholarship and a chance to play as a freshman. With an offer like that, how could I not take it?”
When asked how he manages school and athletics, he said “It‘s definitely tough trying to balance school with everything that comes with being a football player, but setting aside 45 minutes to an hour every day is a good way to make sure you get all your work done. Also finding a friend or someone cool to do work with really helps and makes it not as boring.”
This will be Caleb’s third year at Bethel. His favorite part about college is “meeting all different types of people. There’s a lot of really cool people on campus and at Bethel we have a lot of international students so it’s really fun talking to them and hearing their stories. Also, college comes with a lot of freedom, so it’s nice getting to do things on my own and make my own decisions.” Academics are the number one priority for caleb in college. He knows that without academics, he wouldn’t be able to play football. “I am a Health and Human Performance major with a focus on Exercise Science. I chose this because I am fascinated by the human body and would love to learn more and learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. Also, after Bethel I plan on attending Chiropractic school and this major equips me with everything I need to get into a good school and know what’s going on when I get there”, he said.
Not only is caleb a star in the classroom, he’s also a star on the football field. The Junior in college had a stellar high school career through four years. When asked why he wanted to play football in college, he replied, “Playing football after high school has always been a dream of mine. As a little kid I’d get home from my little league football games and just sit and watch college football and dream of playing one day. Hopefully I can make it to playing professionally, but we’ll see how that goes. Playing football in college also allows some financial aid to make it easier to pay for such a good education, which makes it easier on me and my family.”
Caleb was certainly a successful student athlete for Arlington from 2013-2017. “What I miss most about Arlington is getting to see all my friends every day and spending time with the people I grew up with. I also miss putting on the pads on Friday nights with my brothers and beating up on opposing teams. While yes college football is fun, nothing compares to Friday night lights with the guys you grew up with working as a unit to win a game.” Caleb also has some advice for incoming high school freshman saying, “My advice to an incoming freshman would be to just not stress. High school is a time to work hard, yes, but live your life and be a kid. Once you graduate, responsibilities come in and slap you in the face. Take your time and don’t rush anything. Also, go to the football games. They’re pretty live.”
