High School

Carson Nielsen, Waterloo West Start Fast in 2025

Future Iowa Hawkeye, top prospect has team 2-0 to begin season

Dana Becker

Carson Nielsen, a senior at Waterloo West and an Iowa Hawkeye commit, has helped the Wahawks start the year 2-0.
Carson Nielsen, a senior at Waterloo West and an Iowa Hawkeye commit, has helped the Wahawks start the year 2-0. / Carson Nielsen/X

Carson Nielsen has known for quite some time where he will be going next year. But for now, the hulking 6-foot-7, 285-pounder is focused on one thing.

And he is doing that very, very well.

Nielsen, a University of Iowa football commit, and the Waterloo West High School football team are a perfect 2-0 through the early portion of the 2025 Iowa high school football season. 

The Wahawks kicked off the year with a dominating 50-7 victory inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, which is exactly where the Class 5A contender hopes to end the year as it is the home of the state semifinals and finals.

Last week, Waterloo West clipped Dubuque Senior on the road, 34-27, as they now return to the UNI-Dome to tackle Dubuque Hempsted this Friday before a meeting with old conference rival Fort Dodge on Homecoming in two weeks. 

Waterloo West Piling Up Yards with Carson Nielsen in Trenches

With Nielsen the anchor along the offensive line, the Wahawks have amassed 417 yards rushing and another 378 yards in the air. Senior quarterback Brett McGovern is completing over 79 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

On the ground, senior Felix Annan has rushed for 252 yards with four trips to the end zone while sophomore Perignon Holmes has 98 yards and a pair of scores. Seniors Deztin McMurrin and Torian Doss have both surpassed 100 yards receiving, with McMurrin already hauling in three touchdowns.

As for the Waterloo West defense, they have been an imposing figure, recording 13 sacks, 24 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and an interception. 

Carson Nielsen Committed to Iowa in 2024

Nielsen committed to the Hawkeyes and head coach Kirk Ferentz all the way back in April 2024. He was the first commit in the Class of 2026 for Iowa, which now features several other top Iowa high school football prospects including future opponent Noah Daniel of Fort Dodge.

He does hold offers from several of the top FBS programs in the country including Penn State, Tennessee, Iowa State, Nebraska and Missouri.

For Nielsen and his teammates, the schedule will definitely intensify with Dowling Catholic on the docket to close out September before games with Dallas Center-Grimes, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Marshalltown and Waukee wrap up the regular season.

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Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in northcentral Iowa and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in 2022 focused on the state of Iowa. Along with providing coverage of football and wrestling, Dana also spotlights cross country, swimming, basketball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, baseball and softball. He began writing for High School on SI in 2023.

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