The Alliance of American Football doesn’t have a franchise located in the state of Minnesota, but that doesn’t mean that Minnesota football won’t be represented when the new league that kicks off this weekend. One of the Alliance of American Football league’s franchises, the San Diego Fleet, will have a Minnesota flavor thanks to three players who should be familiar to Minnesota football.
San Diego Fleet Roster Will Have a Minnesota Flavor
The San Diego Fleet have several former NFL players that are known to NFL fans. Tight end Gavin Escobar and defensive end Damontre Moore played several seasons in the NFL. Their head coach, Mike Martz, is also well known for being in charge of one of the most prominent NFL’s offenses in history. From 1999-2001, Martz was in charge of the St. Louis Rams offense, also known as “the greatest show on turf”, which set the NFL on fire.
While Escobar, Moore, and Martz are names most NFL fans recognize on the San Diego roster, there are three other names that will draw the attention of Minnesota football fans specifically.
Defensive tackle Andrew Stelter, quarterback Philip Nelson, and linebacker AJ Tarpley all played their high school football in the state of Minnesota. While all three are high school products from Minnesota, each one took different paths to be on the San Diego Fleet’s roster.
Their Journeys
Let’s take a look at how each of these Minnesota products ended up playing for the San Diego Fleet.
Stelter, University of Minnesota
Stelter played his high school football for the Owatonna Huskies. Playing for head coach Jeff Williams, Stelter helped lead the Huskies to a 5A state championship in 2013. He was also voted All-State his junior and senior seasons.
During his senior season, he was rated as the number four recruit coming out of the state of Minnesota. That ranking helped him sign to play for the University of Minnesota.
As a Golden Gopher, Stelter saw action in all four of his years. He played in a total of 50 games for the Gophers. His most productive season came in his sophomore campaign. That season, he recorded 26 tackles (13 solo) and one of those tackles being for a loss. While the stats aren’t flashy, Stelter was a key contributor to Minnesota’s defensive line.
Like with most players playing in the Alliance of American Football, Stelter is hoping to draw the attention of NFL scouts. He never reached his potential while at the University of Minnesota. Now, as part of the San Diego Fleet’s defensive line, he is hoping he can showcase the athletic ability he illustrated while playing in high school.
Nelson, East Carolina
Nelson played his football at Mankato West. While playing for the Scarlets, Nelson set many high school passing records. His play his senior season helped him earn the Minnesota Gatorade player of year award.
Rated as a three-star recruit, Nelson signed on with the University of Minnesota to play college football. He played two seasons for the Golden Gophers. During his time he saw action in 18 games, including seven as a true freshman. He threw for 17 touchdowns and had 14 interceptions during his Minnesota career.
After his sophomore season, Nelson would transfer to Rutgers. However, the Rutgers football team gave Nelson the boot before ever playing a down. Before heading to Rutgers, Nelson was arrested for his part in a fight that left a local Mankato man in a coma. While the man did eventually wake from his coma, he was left with permanent brain damage. Nelson served two days in jail and was sentenced to community service.
The quarterback would later reemerge at East Carolina University in 2015. Nelson sat out that year, but would start the following season. His senior season, he played in 10 games, throwing for 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
After his senior season, Nelson played in the NFLPA collegiate bowl. In that game, he played for now San Diego Fleet head coach Mike Martz. Nelson drew praise from Martz for his play in that game.
After a short stint in the Canadian Football League, another place he would never play a single down in, he was reunited with Martz. Martz drafted Nelson to play for the San Diego Fleet in the Alliance of American Football.
Right now, it appears that Nelson will play behind quarterback Mike Bercovici for the Fleet at the start of the season. However, with Martz knowing what Nelson can do, it wouldn’t be surprising if Nelson sees some time as the Fleet’s quarterback at some point during the season.
Tarpley, Stanford University
Tarpley was a standout high school football player at Wayzata high school. His play at Wayzata caught the eye of Stanford recruiters. He would go on to play for the Stanford Cardinal.
Tarpley started in all four of his years at Stanford. During his career at Stanford, he would total 20.5 tackles for loss, six and a half sacks, and four interceptions. After his senior season, he was voted second-team All-Pac 10. Ultimately he went undrafted but signed as an undrafted free agent by the Buffalo Bills. He started two games for the Bills in 2015, recording two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one sack. After the season, due to health concerns related to concussions, Tarpley retired from football at the age of 23.
After being away from the game for two years, the itch to play football returned. Tarpley has since landed on the Fleet’s roster.
Tarpley has shown that he can play at the top level of professional football. Now healthy, Tarpley looks to use his time with the San Diego Fleet to show NFL scouts that he can still play. He will be a key piece to the Fleet’s defense and no doubt will be a starter in game one.
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