FRISCO, Texas – Nick Nash isn’t a household name yet. But in the coming months, NFL fans will likely hear about the San Jose State wide receiver as he prepares for the NFL draft. I met with him in Frisco, Texas, at the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl.
Nash’s list of honors and achievements this season seems endless, starting with a unanimous NCAA Consensus All-America Team and an additional six All-America Team selections. He was only the fourth FBS player in history to earn the Triple Crown for the most receptions (104), receiving yards (1,382), and receiving touchdowns (16), making him a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. It might have been a different story if Nash had entered the transfer portal when San Jose State hired a new head coach and offensive coordinator. Fortunately, Nash was open to change, and he was a key piece in an explosive offense.
Growing up in southern California, Nash played quarterback. San Jose State was one of the only schools that offered him a scholarship. It wasn’t until after he accepted that he learned his father had played wide receiver for the school before a brief NFL career. After three seasons with Nash at quarterback, the team brought in Chevan Cordeiro as a transfer. Recognizing that Cordeiro would be the starter, Nash moved to wide receiver.
“It was a mutual decision [between him and the coaches],” Nash said. Like, hey, this isn’t gonna be the position I’m running anymore, so let’s figure out some way that I can still help impact the team. And that was receiver, and the rest is history.”
Nash impressed immediately as a receiver, with six catches for 89 yards and three touchdowns against USC in the first game of the 2023 season. He even landed at #2 on SportsCenter for a diving touchdown reception. He finished his junior year with 48 receptions for 728 yards and eight touchdowns.
Nash uses his experience as a quarterback to improve his game as a receiver prior to the snap.
“I’m definitely looking at the defense, trying to see any cues that they’re giving, whether that’s a safety rolling down or safety dropping out, any coverage identification cue that they can give to me. And then once the ball is snapped, it’s all receiver, it’s all reaction.”
His coaches also used his quarterback skills in the game plan this season. In the season opener against Sacramento State and four weeks later against Nevada, San Jose State ran a trick play, resulting in a touchdown pass thrown by Nash. Steelers might be reminded of WR Antwaan Randle El passing to teammate Hines Ward for a touchdown in Super Bowl X:
Listed by his team as 6’3″ and 195 pounds, Nash lined up wide in his junior year. With new coaches and a new scheme, he lined up in the slot on 93.6 percent of snaps in 2024. He credits offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann for putting him in a position to succeed.
“[He] saw that I was able to pick up concepts and learn things very fast because of my quarterback background. And he realized that I would be better suited in the slot because, according to him, the offense runs through the slot. He was really excited about my ability to recover and make decisions on the fly, and that’s why he decided to move me in.”
The move paid off. He was a reliable target on third down, converting 71 first downs over the season. Credited by PFF with only a 5.5-percent drop rate, Nash secured half of his contested targets.
When asked how he improves his catch rate, Nash lists the usual tennis ball drills and time spent with the JUGS machine. He also shared his secret technique to improve his hand and grip strength: bouldering. As far as areas where he wants to improve, he talked about working on his agility, working on his quickness, and getting off of man press coverage. He sees the Shrine Bowl practices and game as an opportunity to show that he can produce against a high level of competition. While he may be somewhat raw as a receiver, he maintains that he is a quick learner and looks forward to showing what he can produce on the field against some of the best in the country.
Nash didn’t disappoint in practice sessions, stacking solid reps in individual and team drills:
Nash mentioned another quality that would likely resonate with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin: his willingness to do anything to help his NFL team.
“Whatever the coaches need, I’ll do it for them. I’m a very quick learner. I’m a football player. I’m a football player first, then a receiver.”
