While it’s common that most college football players have an outlet from football in the form of video games or hanging out with friends, Charles Nelson does something very unconventional for an 18 year old.
Although the Oregon freshman does dabble in games like FIFA 2015, his solace away from the gridiron is found in the kitchen.
Nelson likes to cook.
“Cooking just brings a different kind of joy to me,” Nelson said. “It helps when the food is good and everyone likes it, but it also lets me step away from everything and do something else that I love.”
Ever since Nelson started attending Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, his class curriculum caused him to take something that he didn’t expect, let alone enjoy for that matter.
Seabreeze allows its students to choose one of three academies upon enrolling in the school: Culinary Design Academy, Academy of Web and Digital Media and Academy of Drafting and Design. Each academy plays to its specific strengths while giving all graduates the thorough knowledge of all high school base classes like math, science, history and English.
Nelson, unsure of what he wanted to study upon being admitted to Seabreeze, chose the Culinary Design Academy because of his fondness for food and a gut feeling he had.
“After being there for four years and learning all the techniques needed, it just became entertaining to me and something that I really liked to do,” Nelson said. “There is so much more that goes into cooking than people realize and knowing that made it special.”
Four years later, Nelson finds himself at Oregon with a passion other than football. Not only does he like to cook, he strongly considers it an option if a career in football doesn’t pan out.
“When considering a major (at Oregon), I wanted to go into hospitality management where one day I could own my own restaurant,” Nelson said. “In the end though, I’m thinking sports marketing so I can stay involved in football.”
When asked about what makes cooking so special for him, Nelson shrugged his shoulders, unable to pinpoint one single thing that made it exciting, but rather as a whole, the experience of walking into a kitchen, looking around and knowing you can make something good.
“Shoot, I’ll cook anything that comes to mind,” Nelson said. “If I’m hungry, I’ll look to see what I have in the kitchen and just go from there — I might have to look at a recipe, but I can do it.”
Not only does he perfectly grill a well-seasoned steak, Nelson has been electrifying on the football field. He has already returned a punt for a touchdown and is the only Ducks player to have a reception and record double digit tackles on the season.
“He’s very athletic, he’s talented and he’s very physically and mentally tough,” Oregon wide receivers coach Matt Lubick said of Charles Nelson. “What separates him from other people is his competitive attitude — he loves to compete.”
While most fans are knowledgeable when it comes to Oregon football, some are unaware of Nelson’s talents as a true freshman. Nelson seems to resemble the NFL player DeAnthony Thomas. Little do they know that no matter where life takes Nelson, you can bet there will be good food along the way.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka