Receiver, North Dakota State, 2022–25
RaJa Nelson
- Number
- No. 3
- Height
- 5′9″
- Weight
- 196 lb
- Class (2025)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Lakeville, MN
RaJa Nelson played receiver at North Dakota State (2022–25).
Career highs
103rushing yards, career highvs. Western Illinois, 20236catches, career highat Northern Iowa, 2023113receiving yards, career highat Northern Iowa, 20232receiving touchdowns, career hightwice; last vs. Southeast Missouri State, 2025Team titles: Missouri Valley Football champions, 2024 and 2025
Receiving
| Season | Team | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | North Dakota State | 15 | 95 | 6.3 | 0 | 14 |
| 2023 | North Dakota State | 31 | 388 | 12.5 | 2 | 40 |
| 2024 | North Dakota State | 26 | 273 | 10.5 | 3 | 33 |
| 2025 | North Dakota State | 29 | 440 | 15.2 | 4 | 36 |
| Career | 101 | 1,196 | 11.8 | 9 | 40 | |
Returns
| Season | Team | KR | Yds | TD | PR | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | North Dakota State | 12 | 239 | 0 | – | – | – |
| 2023 | North Dakota State | 7 | 186 | 0 | – | – | – |
| 2024 | North Dakota State | 2 | 40 | 0 | – | – | – |
| 2025 | North Dakota State | 8 | 168 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Career | 29 | 633 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | |
Rushing
| Season | Team | Car | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | North Dakota State | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2023 | North Dakota State | 35 | 302 | 8.6 | 2 | 76 |
| 2024 | North Dakota State | 3 | −5 | −1.7 | 0 | 2 |
| 2025 | North Dakota State | 7 | 14 | 2.0 | 0 | 10 |
| Career | 47 | 315 | 6.7 | 2 | 76 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. A dash: the source has no number for that season (often an FCS season), and career totals count only the numbers on file.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | North Dakota State | 3 | WR | Fr. | ||
| 2023 | North Dakota State | 3 | WR | So. | ||
| 2024 | North Dakota State | 3 | WR | Jr. | ||
| 2025 | North Dakota State | 3 | WR | Sr. | 5′9″ | 196 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Per play
| Season | Team | Plays | EPA/play | Pctile | Median | Total | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | North Dakota State (FCS) | 16 | 0.53 | – | – | 8.5 | – |
| 2023 | North Dakota State (FCS) | 65 | 0.71 | 39th (n=681) | 0.80 | 46.5 | 7% |
| 2024 | North Dakota State (FCS) | 33 | 0.54 | 9th (n=581) | 0.92 | 17.8 | 7% |
| 2025 | North Dakota State (FCS) | 53 | 0.60 | 74th (n=1040) | 0.46 | 32.0 | 6% |
Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.
Game by game
2025 North Dakota State 13 games, 29 catches, 440 yards, 4 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD | KR | Yds | PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30 | at | W 38–0 | 2 | 60 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Sep 6 | at | W 59–3 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 24 | – |
| Sep 13 | vs. | W 41–14 | 4 | 41 | 2 | – | – | – |
| Sep 27 | vs. | W 51–13 | 2 | 52 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Oct 4 | at | W 33–16 | 1 | 32 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Oct 11 | vs. | W 45–17 | 2 | 62 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Oct 18 | at | W 38–7 | 2 | 23 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Oct 25 | at | W 38–7 | 4 | 43 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Nov 1 | vs. | W 38–30 | 4 | 52 | 0 | 3 | 69 | – |
| Nov 8 | at | W 15–10 | – | – | – | 1 | 17 | – |
| Nov 15 | vs. | W 48–16 | 1 | −4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 1 |
| Nov 22 | vs. | W 62–7 | 3 | 45 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Dec 6 | vs. | L 28–29 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 40 | – |
2024 North Dakota State 8 games, 26 catches, 273 yards, 3 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD | KR | Yds | PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | at | L 26–31 | 4 | 45 | 0 | 2 | 40 | – |
| Oct 5 | vs. | W 41–17 | 1 | 8 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Oct 19 | vs. | W 13–9 | 4 | 48 | 2 | – | – | – |
| Nov 23 | at | L 28–29 | 3 | 48 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Dec 7 | vs. | W 51–31 | 5 | 26 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Dec 14 | vs. | W 31–7 | 2 | 39 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Dec 21 ✦ | vs. | W 28–21 | 2 | 7 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Jan 6 ✦ | vs. | W 35–32 | 5 | 52 | 0 | – | – | – |
2023 North Dakota State 15 games, 31 catches, 388 yards, 2 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD | KR | Yds | PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs. | W 35–10 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 19 | – |
| Sep 9 | vs. | W 44–7 | 2 | 15 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Sep 16 | vs. | W 49–31 | 2 | 20 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Sep 30 | vs. | L 19–24 | 1 | 11 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Oct 7 | at | W 38–10 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 8 | – |
| Oct 14 | at | L 24–49 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 64 | – |
| Oct 21 | vs. | W 52–7 | 1 | −1 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Oct 28 | vs. | W 38–6 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nov 4 | at | L 16–33 | 4 | 36 | 0 | 2 | 95 | – |
| Nov 11 | vs. | W 34–10 | 4 | 81 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Nov 18 | at | W 48–27 | 6 | 113 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Nov 25 ✦ | vs. | W 66–3 | 2 | 51 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Dec 2 ✦ | at | W 35–34 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Dec 9 ✦ | at | W 45–17 | 2 | 12 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Dec 16 ✦ | at | L 29–31 | 1 | 13 | 0 | – | – | – |
2022 North Dakota State 12 games, 15 catches, 95 yards
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD | KR | Yds | PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | vs. | W 56–14 | – | – | – | 1 | 5 | – |
| Sep 10 | vs. | W 43–3 | 1 | 11 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Sep 17 | at | L 28–31 | 1 | 9 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Oct 1 | vs. | W 27–14 | 1 | −3 | 0 | 1 | 17 | – |
| Oct 8 | at | W 31–26 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 50 | – |
| Oct 15 | vs. | L 21–23 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 71 | – |
| Oct 29 | vs. | W 24–7 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 23 | – |
| Nov 5 | at | W 56–17 | – | – | – | 1 | 17 | – |
| Nov 19 | vs. | W 42–21 | 1 | 8 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Dec 3 | vs. | W 49–26 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 18 | – |
| Dec 9 | vs. | W 24–3 | 4 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 9 | – |
| Jan 8 ✦ | vs. | L 21–45 | – | – | – | 1 | 29 | – |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
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