Keenan Nelson Jr. will end his college football career at a third school.
After transferring to Ohio State from South Carolina in 2024, Nelson is back in the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining.
Nelson arrived in Columbus as a four-star transfer after spending two seasons with the Gamecocks. The 6-foot, 205-pound safety appeared in 15 games at South Carolina, totaling 13 tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass breakup.
While he hoped to carve out a role in Ohio State’s defense, Nelson never cracked the rotation. He primarily contributed on special teams as Caleb Downs and Lathan Ransom started in 2024, followed by Downs and Jaylen McClain in 2025. Nelson made 17 appearances for the Buckeyes but did not record a statistic.
Prior to his collegiate career, Nelson was a four-star recruit and the No. 221 overall prospect in the 2022 class. He starred at Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s Prep, the same high school as former Buckeyes Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kyle McCord, as well as current Ohio State running back Isaiah West.
