Louisville football commit Nathan Salz has ‘world-class speed’
FULSHEAR, Texas (BVM) – Nathan Salz, a senior football and track star at Jordan High School, is one of the most underrated prep talents in the state of Texas. Salz is committed to the Louisville football team and will likely make the Cardinals track team as well due to his record-holding speed.
Salz currently holds the fastest FAT 100-meter time in the country for the 2023 track and field season with a blazing speed of 10.31. On the gridiron, the wide receiver has speed that’s fit for an NFL player. Salz says he ran a 4.37 40-yard dash that was recorded at a camp following his junior season.
“I also had a laser 6.653 3-cone time at a camp – which tied the fastest wide receiver at last year’s NFL combine,” Salz said. “For my 40, there were a few consistently between 4.37 and 4.42.”
The 100m and 40-yard times arguably make Salz the fastest high schooler in the country. His 40 alone would put him among the fastest times recorded by wide receivers at the 2023 NFL Combine – something his Jordan HS 7v7 coach, Dusty Stanfield, would be familiar with since Stanfield attended his 18th combine over the weekend. Stanfield said he’s been working around thousands of college and NFL stars for 23 years and said that Salz is one of the fastest wide receivers he’s ever seen.
“Out of all the professional athletes I’ve worked with over 23 years, in terms of just pure speed, Nathan is in the top five,” Stanfield said. “If I had to compare him to players I represented personally, it would be Yamon Figurs because he ran the fastest time in the NFL Combine – a 4.3 40-yard dash – before he was picked in the 2007 NFL Draft. I’ve worked with very talented NFL receivers, such as Wes Welker, and Nathan is so much faster than so many of them and can handle the ball really well.”
“Nathan Salz just had maybe the best catch you’ll see all season.” –@TylerTyre, Katy Times
Was it? @JHSWarriors_FB @Tre_LandoTFL @KeithBlackmon @dctf @TXTopTalent @PrepRedzoneTX @Jackson_dip1 @SportsNewera @TrustMyEyesO @ParkerThune @NathanielShive1 @Marchen44 @ScottRapp17 pic.twitter.com/rX8oG8pvO3
— Nathan Salz (@Nathan_salz) November 9, 2022
Final stats, 6A #TXHSFB
6’ Sr Ath, 4.34 40
11 gms, 996 yds, 91 Y/Gm
20 Y/R, 5 Y/C, 36 Y/KOR@JHSWarriors_FB @RivalsWoody @SWiltfong247 @PrepRedzoneTX @dctf @KeithBlackmon @M_White03 @Coach_JWatts @Smith_D55 @ScottRapp17
Check out this highlight! https://t.co/aySY7800Rw— Nathan Salz (@Nathan_salz) November 11, 2022
Stanfield also noted that he saw Salz run the 40 at a Louisville camp. Coaches were in disbelief that a 6-foot, 160-pounder, who just finished his junior year, seamlessly ran the fastest time at the camp (shown below).
Ran the best 40 of @LouisvilleFB camp (4.42), 9’11.5” broad jump, 4.20 shuttle. Thx for the tour @CoachLT39 @CoachStingley @coach_stepp @pete_nochta13 @CoachJHova Had a blast ballin and working on my game #GoCards @RivalsWoody @TomLoy247 @ZSoskin @JHSWarriors_FB @ScottRapp17 pic.twitter.com/4xQPrP9Taz
— Nathan Salz (@Nathan_salz) June 22, 2022
“Nathan is as good a vertical threat on the football field as you’re going to find considering how he runs,” Stanfield said. “He has world-class speed and there are very few guys that I’ve seen that are as fast as Nathan.”
But even with Salz’s fast strides, quick maneuvers and great catching abilities, he’s actually seen very few DI offers. He’s currently unranked by the likes of 247 Sports and Rivals, which could be due to the fact that he’s part of the first graduating class at Jordan, which is a new high school.
“I believe if Nathan had been at another school in the district, he would be ranked as a four-star prospect,” Stanfield said. “Nathan’s sophomore year, he played against Lake Belton High School wide receiver Micah Hudson (currently a four-star prospect and the No. 2 recruit in Texas). Nathan played him twice that year and had more receiving yards than Micah Hudson.”
The 2021 football season was the first time that the Jordan football team played on an official varsity schedule, so it also didn’t help Salz’s recruiting when he broke his collarbone in the sixth game of the 2022 season. Despite the injury, he was able to finish his senior season with the most yards per reception on the team (20.3).
“It’s a little frustrating, especially when people ask me how or why I’m not ranked, but I just choose to focus on what I can control and be the best I can be,” Salz said. “I know it made the recruiting process much harder for me, but I always had faith I’d wind up where I was supposed to be.”
Salz said that he chose to commit to Louisville’s football program since the “coaches have shown the most love all along.” The WR recruit noted that Coach Pete Nochta told him his job will be to “take the top off the defense” with his speed.
Salz wants to utilize that speed to be a two-sport threat when he joins Louisville in the fall. He hasn’t been offered a spot on the T&F team just yet, but he is confident he’ll make the team and will be able to handle playing two DI sports.
“Louisville football already said it was okay with them for me to run track too as long as I stay on top of everything,” Salz said. “I am very confident I’ll make the track team at Louisville too for sure since my times already meet their minimum standards. I’ll do whatever it takes to balance both, I’m not worried about that. I haven’t chosen football over track – I’m going to do both.”
Won Gold🥇 in 200, Gold🥇 in 4×200 (@ 1:27, top 15 time in nation), & bronze🥉 in 4×100 yesterday at the Garcia Ram Tough Relays at Cy Ridge HS. Best part was @JordanXCTF boys AND girls taking 1st PLACE though! 💪🏻⚡️#AG2G #GoWarriors @LouisvilleTFXC @LouisvilleFB @TylerTyre pic.twitter.com/IfOOQ6LzyA
— Nathan Salz (@Nathan_salz) March 5, 2023
In terms of his pro career, Salz noted that he’s open to either the NFL or representing USA Track & Field. For now, he’s eager to see how his collegiate career plays out.
“What’s crazy about him is that he’s so under-coached,” Stanfield said. “[Many athletes like him would have] a receivers coach and a track coach to work with and Nathan doesn’t have either of those two things. On the track side, I don’t think he’s ever had anyone who worked with him on starts or race strategy independently. When he gets with the right program to work with him on the technical stuff, just wait, since right now it’s all just natural.”
