Jason Nelson ’18 finished his first season as an assistant coach at his alma mater in 2024, leading the team’s defensive backs unit.
In his first season as coach at Union, the Garnet Chargers had three defensive backs earn All-Liberty League honors, the most for the program in a season since 2019.
Since graduating from Union, Nelson had been a coach at O.H. Platt High School in Meriden, Conn., first serving as a secondary coach before moving into the role of Co-Defensive Coordinator for the last two seasons. Last season, the Panthers earned a Central Connecticut Conference title and reached the CIAC Class MM Tournament while allowing only 9.1 points per game in league play.
Nelson was a four-year starter in the defensive backfield for Union from 2014-17, twice earning All-Liberty League accolades. He served as a team captain and earned both the team’s Ronald Plumb ’80 Award and Academic Award as a senior. He recorded six interceptions, 21 pass breakups and nearly 200 tackles in his four seasons, including a career-high 64 tackles as a senior.
The Liberty League All-Academic honoree graduated from Union in 2018 with a degree in economics and political science.
