Mario Cristobal updates Zion Nelson's status entering spring practice

The Miami Hurricanes are in the midst of their second season of the Mario Cristobal era, as spring practice started for the team on Saturday. Miami will be without a handful of players to start spring practice, including star offensive lineman Zion Nelson, whose season last year was riddled with injury. And on Saturday, Cristobal spoke about the injury status of his offensive lineman.

“He’s doing well, he’s on the mend,” Cristobal said. “Right now doctors prefer that he continues to heal up until we get to the point where we can really, really go. We are going to be patient with him. He feels good about it and the doctors feel good about it, so we’ll stay the course.”

Nelson had a stellar season in 2021, grading out at an 85.3 pass-blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus, and having one of the best statistical seasons in program history. In the 2022 offseason, he had a cleanup surgery on an injured knee that would go on to give him problems throughout the entirely of the season.

Nelson only appeared in one game for the Hurricanes last season when they faced Texas A&M and was a valuable, missing piece of an offensive line that gave up 36 sacks in 2022. There’s no question that he is one of the most talented players for Miami, standing at 6-foot-5, 316 pounds, and showing high-level pass protection skills in the past, but him not participating in spring practice is not an ideal sign for the Hurricanes.

He is a lot more effective for the Hurricanes on the field versus off of it, and hopefully this offseason, Nelson can get back to full health and be a major contributor to Miami’s offense like he has been in the past.

Miami offensive tackle Zion Nelson produces top-two pass blocking grade in program history

Miami Hurricanes offensive tackle Zion Nelson is one of the best pass blocking tackles to ever suit up for the Hurricanes, and he has the numbers to prove it. According to Pro Football Focus, Nelson had the highest pass-blocking grade in recent Hurricane history last season. His grade of 85.3 is the second-highest since 2014, just behind a former first-round pick Ereck Flowers.

The six-foot-six junior tackle out of Sumter, SC, had to spend some time honing his craft when he made it to the college level. According to On3’s recruiting database, Nelson is a three-star recruit from the 2019 class. He was the No. 1,353 rated player in the country. Nelson was the No. 121 ranked offensive tackle and 27 best player to come out of the state of South Carolina.

If the Hurricanes want a chance to compete for the ACC crown, they will need a repeat performance from Nelson this season. But not just him, the rest of the offensive line has to contribute to keeping young talented quarterback Tyler Van Dyke upright for the entire season. And if he can do that, he can repeat that level of productivity, he could follow in Flowers’s footsteps and become a first-round pick.

On3’s Justin Rudolph contributed to this report